You either stand or you fall
by sweetness4theheart
Summary: When Sakura was 15 something happened. Years later she's changed and no one suspects a thing. Except for Kakashi. On a mission to the Oasis Village Kakashi confronts her. But Sakura isn't safe and someone won't let her go. Kaka/Saku, Naru/Hina, Kiba/Shino
1. While you were sleeping

While you were sleeping

How many times will you wander away from me? Stuck in this feeling of inability, I'm so close to screaming sensei. So close to asking you to stop, to stay, to love me . . . help me get rid of these nightmares.

* * *

Kakashi thought he saw something in Sakura's eyes as he disappeared from the training ground. As he appeared atop his crumbling apartment, the thought of what it might be carefully eluded his attentive mind.

Although Kakashi portrayed the lazy and oblivious man, he was always aware of what was happening around him. Not knowing something frustrated him to no end. This frustration was seemingly wore than others, which were solved with a few rounds of hot sake and loose-lipped shinobi.

Unfortunately for Kakashi, the object of his frustrations was not fond of drinking. This was most likely caused by her violent, gambling addict of a shishou who managed to fit in over a dozen cups of sake a day. A feat that the fifth Hokage was adamantly proud of. Not many could be that drunk and still be able to adequately run an entire village.

It was no wonder however, with a shishou like that, that his Sakura was awfully wary of drinking, as well as gambling.

Not that Sakura was his in any way, any form. Except of course, being his student, well ex-student for that matter, but she was _his _at one point.

Not that Kakashi felt any possessiveness over Sakura, more than of her two teammates, Naruto and Sasuke. Yet he didn't find himself constantly worrying about their feelings.

Maybe it was just because she was a girl, and therefore he felt the need to protect her. Which he knew was not needed as he had seen her punch through seven metres of concrete . . . and break Sasuke's nose when he was still with Orochimaru. In all actuality Kakashi was quite sure why he felt more possessive and protective of Sakura. It was something he had been denying for a long time and he knew that he couldn't keep it up.

Sakura was depressed, Kakashi could tell. Just as he could tell that she was no longer that pathetic, whiny little girl with an anger to be reckoned with. Okay, all of that except for the anger part.

She had grown into a capable, independant kunoichi, both mentally and physically. In every sense of the word Sakura was her own women.

And she wanted to kill herself.

Kakashi just didn't know why.

* * *

Sakura felt a jolt of loneliness as Kakashi disappeared from the training field. Unusually, Kakashi and Sakura had been the only ones left, as Naruto and Sasuke departed quickly after being summoned by her shishou.

They had not wanted to anger Tsunade, but Sakura often wondered though, why Naruto bothered to turn up on time only to spark her anger by calling her baa-chan. She supposed that Naruto's nickname of the forever youthful looking was meant as an endearment, even if it was quite true.

She was hopeful that her shishou wouldn't create bloody marks all over her friends body, something the medical ninja had become quite familiar with. As during the many years, if Tsunade-shishou was too angry she would let others fix Naruto up.

Yet, thankful to her shishou, Sakura has become stronger in taijutsu, genjutsu and medic jutsu. She just wished she was strong enough in genjutsu to make Kakshi stay, something she knew to be impossible with his one sharingan.

Kakshi wasn't the only she wished would stay, her sanity back would be helpful. Sakura knew she was depressed and only had enough will power left to hide it from everyone.

It seemed quite easy actually, Naruto would be oblivious until she made a mistake, even though she loved the boy he was that quick on picking things up. Yet if he found out, he would never leave her alone, he would constantly comfort her, make it better . . . maybe she should tell him.

No, no. Silly thought.

Ino was too caught up in trying to get Chouji to stick to his diet. Tsunade-shishou was busy running the village and getting wasted, and Sasuke was too wary to even speak to her. His wariness probably stemmed from when she had snapped at him two months after he had return to Konoha seeking amnesty from his crimes.

Sakura and Naruto had only been able to finally bring their fellow teammate home because he had avenged his clan. Uchiha Itachi was dead, killed by his own brother he had labelled pathetic and weak.

However once Sasuke found out the truth, the people that had ordered Itachi to murder his clan were found and killed. In this Sasuke was not alone. Everyone helped execute the traitors within Konoha and they were all glad to help.

Sakura had been one of those to help, and however happy that her former love had returned she did not feel as she had once felt. Over the years they spend apart, Sakura began to realise that her feelings for the surviving Uchiha had begun to fade into a more platonic love. All she simply felt now for the boy was a friendship filled with affection but burderened with painful memories that had yet to fade.

She supposed telling him that she had lost all respect and love for him the moment he had attacked Naruto, had surprised and shocked him. In all fairness though, he should never have dryly commented on her lack of gushing as if it was all she was useful for.

Sasuke understood how much she had grown as a shinobi, he just hadn't realised that went for being a person too. He had no chance of noticing the secret she had been hiding for so long. No one had.

Not until her sensei, her friend, had stumbled upon her mourning at a grave, lured by the scent of blood splayed across her thighs. Cuts that would've been kept hidden as they healed, were naked to his eye in her vulnerable state, she was just lucky he didn't see the old scars.

Her Kakashi watched her carefully from that moment on. Sakura just didn't understand why. She didn't think he would care that much.

Sakura rolled her shoulders and cricked her neck. Now that Kakashi had gone, training was officially over. She was alone again. Not that she didn't mind being alone, quite the opposite in fact, for now she didn't have to guard her actions so carefully.

It was just that she didn't want Kakashi to leave, seemingly more content when he was around. It was okay though, for she had to get a good night of sleep before her early shift at the hospital tomorrow.

Sakura started the journey home, walking instead of transporting herself due to her lack of chakra from her vigorous training. She usually didn't waste so much chakra but today she had been practicing a new justu on Naruto, as his many kage bunshin gave her ample amounts of targets.

So unfortunately she was left to drag her tired body back to her home, thinking quite wryly that Kakashi could have offered her a free trip with his justu instead of disappearing in a cloud of leaves.

That man was intolerable and yet Sakura wouldn't have him any other way, even though she knew that he was keeping his eyes on her. Sakura just wanted to be left alone by everyone, everyone except him. He was too observant for his own good and Sakura was playing in a game that would most likely leave her drowning. She was treading water but a part of her wanted to drown and that scared her.

Sakura climbed the stairs to her apartment on the top floor. It was times like these that Sakura wondered why she chose the top apartment. It didn't matter that it was the most spacious and had the best view, it was annoying trying to reach her front door after training every day.

Sakura finally reached the landing to her apartment and shoulder barged to door open after unlocking it. The smell of home greeted her and Sakura breathed it in. Her she could truly be herself, here were where the knives, that set her free.

Sakura headed towards the bathroom.

* * *

Now inside the apartment he had been living in for sixteen years of his anti-social life, Kakashi headed towards the bathroom. He had to admit that his three former students always gave him a good work out. So much that he didn't _usually _attempt to reach his Icha Icha novels. _Usually_, that is.

For today though, it had been tough and a thin layer of sweat and grime had collected on his body. He needed a shower, badly.

It didn't help that Kakashi, being the lazy man he was, wanted to do nothing more than collapse. Collapsing would look weak and whatever Kakashi was, it wasn't weak.

So he trudged his way into the bathroom, resolutely ignoring the pulls in a few strained muscles. He suspected he'd tore his calf ligiment as it trembled with every step.

'Maybe I should have had Sakura take a look at it' he absently thought.

She was now quite an outstounding medic and a small injury such as this would've taken a few moments to fix. But Kakashi hadn't figured out yet how to approach the depressed girl without inducing her wrath.

She was a little vixen with a temper that could unleash a chakra-induced fist to cause broken bones. Jiraiya didn't call her mini-Tsunade for no reason. So if she was anything like her shishou, and Kakashi knew she was, he would have to be careful about this.

Thoughts ran through his head as he disrobed, breathing in unhindered air through his nose when he took his mask off. The next important thing to come off was his pants, a feat made difficult as he leg almost gave out on him. When everything was lying on the bathroom floor he turned, naked, towards the mirror.

'There's my father' he thought to himself, ashamed at the reflection in the mirror.

Even though he had long ago learned that his father had been a good man who had done the right thing, no matter was others said. He would never know that all his friends and fellow humans saw a strong man who didn't let anyone get close. Not the man who was the cause of the second ninja wars.

He only saw the exact replica of the man he had call otoo-san, minus the scar and sharingan eye. Kakashi closed his sharingan and turned on the water, wincing as the pain grew behind his borrowed eye.

His thoughts turned back to Sakura and her unknown problem as the water soothed his body.

* * *

'If only I could cut deeper, harder. The pain feels so good. I feel numb already'.

Her thoughts were morbid as the blood dripped over her old scars and onto the white linoleum.

Sakura was quite fond of watching the blood and if she was honest, the way the blood flowed from her body sent a primitive shudder of pleasure through her. Something screamed inside her head. I did that. That's my work. Everyone look at how beautiful I made it.

She made her pain into a work of art, covering the old scars that could not heal, even when she had tried to. For these scars had been cuts from a poisoned blade. Two crosses on each leg.

She remembered that day well. She didn't want to but she could not forget. When it got too much, she took out her own kunai and cut the memories away. The blood was because of her this time. Never again would Sakura let the blood be because of him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

The edges of her vision started to blur and Sakura wondered if she had done this too soon after her last 'session'.

Smiling faintly, the pink-haired girl rested her head against the tiles. Her blood looked so bright against the white of her skin. Forever ingrained into her memory and forever hidden from her friends.

A constant pounding on her front door woke the kunoichi from her unconscious state. Groaning slightly, Sakura pushed herself up from her fallen position on the floor. Obviously when she passed out her body had managed a way to cause her even more pain and now she had an unbearable kink in her neck.

Though her neck made her grimace, the faint pull on her thighs sent waves of calmness through her body. This she could handle. Her own self-inflicted pain made it so much easier to breathe.

The pounding on the door continued and Sakura quickly snatched a robe to cover herself.

She rushed to answer the person yelling "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Hopefully whoever was at the door wouldn't smell the blood that had dried upon her skin. If they did she could easily say it was from her training session with her boys and she hadn't had the time to clean up yet.

After her call the knocking had ceased and Sakura opened the door to find a tiger-masked ANBU on her doorstep. Immediately her body tensed and her mind travelled to the many possibilities of this visit. No longer was she the depressed young girl hiding behind her carefully erected facade. She was Haruno Sakura. An amazing kunoichi and medical ninja, second only to her Tsunade-shishou.

The neutral voice of the ANBU informed Sakura of the circumstances saying "Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately. You are to pack for a one month mission".

"Hai" Sakura acknowledged.

With his job done the ANBU disappeared in a puff of smoke and leaves. Similar to the same jutsu Kakashi used. Sakura felt the slight thrill and determination of an impending mission.

Laughing lightly she whispered excitedly "Lets get back to where the real fun is".

She'd been spending too much time in that damn stuffy hospital.


	2. Here and now

Okay, this is the second chapter. I ended up lengthening the first chapter so go back and read if you haven't realised. Year 12 is making it so hard to get time to write my chapters down. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out sooner.

'**Oh, don't you try to judge me'.**

Here and now

With his well-known orange book in front of his face, Kakashi waited on the balcony outside the Hokage's room.

He had arrived her thirty minutes after being summoned, taking his time to shower and pack. For the silver-haired shinobi, thirty minutes was early, thus the reason for his current position.

Luckily for him there were lights on the balcony so he could read. Especially since he was getting to the good part. No matter how often Tsunade called Jiraiya a _"useless perv who writes the most smut-filled plot less novels in history!" _She had to admit that his books were best sellers for a reason. And Kakashi was Jiraiya's self-proclaimed number #1 fan.

Not that he went around admitting it to all of Konoha in a very Gai-like fashion. Please. Kakashi had more self-respect than that.

Yet he didn't have enough self-respect to not imagine a certain pink-haired kunoichi playing his favourite seductresses. Just putting her face on the actions of the characters he read made him hard in an instant. Something that would be embarrassing if he allowed it in public.

Not to mention that it was taboo because she was his student. Never mind. Sakura was an Ex-student at that. Speaking of ex-students, both Naruto and Sakura were in the Hokage's office at this moment. Obviously they were both called in for the same reason as himself. Although, Kakashi had already been enlightened to the situation.

Not only were his two ex-students in there but Team Kurenai, minus the woman herself, were there also. All in all, Kakashi deducted they would be a six-man cell with himself as the leader. A position he was fully confident in. After all, he was the Copy Ninja, Kakashi. And he decided that it was time to make his entrance.

Using chakra-enhanced feet, Kakashi entered Tsunade's office via the ceiling.

His eyes creased happily when he heard a boisterous blonde scream "You're late!"

"Ah, gomen, gomen" said Kakashi, already prepared with an elaborate story. "I was on my way here when an old lady fell over right in front –"

Two voices interrupted screaming "Liar!" in accusation.

Kakashi just shrugged and dropped to the floor. No matter that Sakura and Naruto never believed him, his story were _always _true. Mostly.

In fact, an old lady had fallen over right in front of him. It was his fault for being too focused on the questions surround Sakura. So after picking her up and apologising repeatedly he went off. He made sure to ignore the twinkle in her eyes, as well as the muttered words "kids in love these days. Can't keep their minds off each other".

It was also a habit to make his excuses sound as irrational as Obito's had. A pang went through him. It was his way of keeping Obito with him, his best friend. The lateness was because he was usually at the memorial, talking to him. Telling him how his days were going. As well as saying hello to his Sensei, Rin and his too-san.

A stern voice interrupted his musings. "Now that Kakashi is here, it is time for your report".

Everyone in the room stood to attention. All except Kakashi who kept his lazy stance and nonchalant expression. Truthfully he was watching Sakura out of the corner of his eye. She looked . . . tired. But not the usual tired. Instead it was a long-suffered weariness.

'I wonder what happened after I left the training grounds?' The copy-nin thought idly.

"Fourty-five minutes ago Konoha received intelligence on a criminal organization who has been stealing from numerous villages within the Land of Water. " Informed the busty blonde. "Konoha has been requested to deal with this".

And excited voice chimed in "Ne, baa-chan? Why do they need ninja's from Konoha?"

A vain on Tsuande's forehead throbbed. "Don't interrupt me Naruto!" Followed by a yelp as Naruto ducked to avoid the mug heading in his direction.

Underneath his mask, a good-natured grin crossed Kakashi's face. Naruto would never really change. He would always be untainted by the cruelties of the world, but still gain the wisdom. As well as becoming stronger each day.

Therefore Kakashi had no qualms about heading on this mission with his energetic student. Former student.

His eye flickered back to Sakura. A content look was on her face as she watched Naruto. It was comforting that Sakura had accepted Naruto and his antics, having a deep love for her whiskered teammate.

"Team Kakashi, Team Kurenai. Both teams are complete with Kurenai and Sai in hospital and Sasuke currently on a mission. It is your mission to capture the eleven criminals in charge and subdue their four followers. Death for the eleven is to be used as a last resort. We need to interrogate them. They are currently stationed in the Oasis Village. You have three weeks".

"Hai!" Came the unison reply as each person nodded their head in affirmation. Kakashi merely glanced lazily at the Hokage. Her ever present scowl deepened at his nonchalance. Turning towards the group Kakashi stared until he received their attention.

Voice serious he stated "Meet at the front gates in one hour" and promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sometimes Kakashi loved living up to his reputation.

* * *

"I hate it when he does that!" Came Naruto's annoyed scream. "That Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura merely rolled her eyes before swatting Naruto over the back of the head.

"You should be used to his antics by now Naruto! Geez".

Naruto yelped "I know Sakura-chan. It's just so irritating".

"Yes, well act on that knowledge" she scolded. "Now go get ready".

"Geez, I have to agree with Naruto, Kakashi-sensei is irritating" interrupted Kiba followed by Akamaru's agreeing yip. Shino merely hummed his agreement and Hinata blushed. Sakura was just proud that the Hyugga heiress hadn't fainted; something she had only got over after Naruto left.

The temperamental kunoichi still held hope for the two youths to realise how the other felt and confess their love. Not that Naruto would believe it if he ever found out about Hinata's long-standing crush. It was good however that Naruto admitted to her, only her. That he was deeply and irrevocably in love with Hinata.

Naruto had finally realised the sweet and loyal Hinata right in front of his eyes.

Thank kami.

Following Kakashi's method, Sakura poofed away from the Hokages office into her apartment. It took five minutes to gather her standard shinobi kit and accessorise anything else she deemed necessary.

Hopefully they wouldn't have to exceed the three weeks limit. If that happened, another team would be send out to help, embarrassing as all of her group were jounin, save Naruto who had to wait six months before the next examination.

Out of eleven major criminals and four henchmen, none of them were ninja's. It seemed suspicious to Sakura, most criminal organizations had at least one or two professional ninja's protecting them. Surely this group wasn't so idiotic as to think that the land of water wouldn't call upon Konoha ninja's?

(Actually, the land of water is one of the shinobi nations, so they would use their own ninja's but we'll just ignore that fact for this story)

The fact that this organization had no ninja's tugged at Sakura's mind. It must've done the same to Tsunade as six highly skilled shinobi were not needed for fifteen civilians.

Sakura merely sighed at the lack of information.

Looking around for any missed items, the kunoichi tugged on her backpack and left the house. She may as well have some ramen with Naruto before leaving.


	3. Stop Trying to Run

This one came out quicker. I really wish my paragraphs were longer. Someone should really review for me. :( At least once?

'**You smiled the whole way through it, I guess maybe that's what's worse'**

Stop trying to run

One and a half hours later, Kakashi arrived at the gate. Judging by the look of irritation on Kiba's face, Team Kurenai was not happy about waiting. Not that Hinata or Shino showed it. Shino remained stoicly silent and Hinata was too nice and shy-mannered to say anything.

Sakura and Naruto however, though accepting of his constant tardiness, voiced their irritation. In the masked jounins opinion, their cries of outrage were caused more by habit than actual irritation. Knowing these two as he did, they probably arrived at the gates mere moments before he did.

Really, they should be grateful he was only late by half an hour, rather than the customary two.

Sakura seemed to have pulled herself together in the time that they had separated. Her cheerful voice teasing Naruto and Kiba as the two argued. It was like team seven again, except Kiba was a much more vocal rival towards Naruto in comparison to Sasuke. Not to mention the two shy shinobi in the background.

Kakashi merely walked past and flicked Naruto on the back of the head, eye creasing happily. It took a while for Naruto's angry screams and Kiba's taunt to die down. Most likely because instead of raising her fists against the boys, Sakura was deep in conversation with the Hyuuga heiress.

They travelled for twelve house, flying through the tree tops until arriving at the Fire countries border. Even though there was no war at the present time and relationships between countries weren't strained, the silver-haired nin called for them to camp.

It was better to be safe than sorry was Kakashi's motto. Well one of his motto's, the other being I won't let my teammates die or better late than never.

The boys grabbed the firewood and the girls cooked the food. Although Sakura had once complained that all male shinobi were sexist in the kitchen area, it was merely because Hinata and Sakura were the only one's that could cook. Or at least have edible food. Kakashi could put a meal together to save his life, but that was about it.

The banter was light, the food good and Kakashi was content to read the book in front of his face. Of course no one had seen him eat, that would require seeing under his mask.

At nineteen his students had seem to have given up pursuing the face under his mask. Although he knew they hadn't given up hope.

"A-ano, would you like some more, Naruto-kun? Came Hinata's shy voice. Although with less stammering and a mild blush instead of a tomato head. It was good to see that Hinata had gained more confidence, even though she was still shy with Naruto.

Dense baka, that fox-boy was.

Still focusing on his book in hand, Kakashi stretched his sensors to focus on the others. Hinata was giving Naruto his fourth serving as he thanked her repeatedly. Akamaru and Kiba were tearing a piece of steak between them as Shino looked on. At least that is where his glasses were facing. Sakura was ... where was Sakura?

Sniffing, Kakashi picked up her vanilla scent about a mile away. He wondered what she was doing so far out. If she needed to go to the toilet, the standard distance was no less than two hundred metres from camp.

Curious, a lone eye continued to read the next page. Here the heroine was passionately licking her way down the Shinobi's stomach. Going lower and ...

Sakura walked back into the clearing. Her hair slightly mussed up. Even so, she was beautiful. From the love-struck, crybaby, twelve-year old, Sakura had grown into an amazing kunoichi at the age of nineteen.

Loyal, kind, intelligent, skilled and temperamental (chakra-enhanced fists) it was still surprising when Sakura all but rejected Sasuke. The boy in question had seemed shocked himself, even though he had come to respect her. It sent a thrill through his old body, (and he was old in the shinobi world) to know that his little vixen had gotten over the Uchiha.

'_You just want her for yourself, dirty old man'._

Preposterous. He was merely proud that -

'_Proud my ass'._

PROUD that Sakura finally got the guts to stand up against her first love. She wasn't a doormat and didn't deserve to be treated like one.

'_As if you could do any better'._

Damn his conscience, it was really bugging him tonight! The silver-haired shinobi must have been staring for too long as Sakura looked up and caught his eye.

"I'll take first watch, Sakura second, Naruto third, Kiba fourth, Hinata fifth and Shino last. Pleasant dreams", ordered Kakashi.

This way was best as he wouldn't be able to sleep, Shino's bugs woke him up early and Sakura was the medic – therefore requiring more uninterrupted sleep. Although by the medics glare she thought he was babying her. The girl was too defensive when it came to the member of her team looking out for her. They were friends –

'_You wish for more'._

- but they all respected her abilities. Turning around from the makeshift camp, Kakashi decided to wait until tomorrow before questioning Sakura about tonight.

If he didn't know any better, he'd say she'd been ... crying.

* * *

A scowl seemed to have permanently settled onto her face. He must've thought he was being subtle but Sakura _knew_ when she was being watched! And Kakashi was most definitely watching her! Why? Was she too obvious last night? No, it had been going on far longer than that. So when, when had this started? And why was it on this mission that that sarcastic, emotionally –stunted, sexy basket-case had to – wait, sexy?

SEXY!

She did NOT just say sexy. So what if he _might_ be good looking under that mask (she still hadn't seen his face). Or that he had become one of her best friends now that he wasn't her sensei? Or that she didn't want him to leave her to her loneliness? Wait, he is just a friend.

'_A sexy, loyal, kind of friend that you want to hold you all night long. Those big, strong hands to grip you waist as he plunges into you, over and over again', _piped Inner Sakura

"Shut up!" The pink-haired kunoichi roared back, blushing at her inner's words.

The point was, he was watching her. She had to be careful. Sakura had to make sure not to let him know she was in pain. She couldn't let him know of the connection between her and _him_. No, he must not find out.

Her scars throbbed painfully.

They had left the Fire countries border seven hours ago and were now entering the land of water. Sakura could still feel Kakashi's eyes linger on her at random moments but had ceased her scowling. Naruto had realised something was wrong and asked. Naturally that meant that everyone knew, not from lack of tact though. Naruto was more mature now, but Sakura had missed her footing and plunged towards the ground in her shock. She didn't realise that her emotions were affecting her to that extent. After catching a branch and returning alongside her teammate, the pink-haired medic assured Naruto she was fine.

Needless to say, no one believed her but they were all furtively ignoring that fact. Her punches were quite painful and no one wanted to risk their bodies because of her current state of mind. It had been uncomfortably silent so it was a relief when twilight came and Kakashi ordered them to make camp.

Sakura felt contentment as she and her comrades completed the same actions as the night before. Laughter fell from her lips as she watched her ex-sensei blush from behind his Icha Icha porno, Naruto and Hinata flirt (though both were oblivious to the others), and Kiba repeatedly throw rocks at Shino's head.

Shino hadn't yelled yet but Sakura noticed the trail of bugs that were slowly crawling to Kiba's hair. The friendly atmosphere lasted into the night, with the kunoichi's adamant refusal to think of anything remotely depressing.

Sakura looked up to smile as Kiba desperately attempted to rid his hair of bugs. Feeling eyes on her she found the source to be holding an orange-covered book and glared at him. His deep voice pulled her out of glaring. "I'll take first, Sakura second, Naruto third, Kiba fourth, Hinata fifth and Shino last".

* * *

Everyone momentarily stopped and nodded their affirmative before returning back to normal. He was happy the mask hid his smile from the other, no doubt they would wonder what he found so amusing ...

'_Just you,' _he thought _'and your silly ways'._

Over the years this self-proclaimed loner had opened himself up a little bit more to others. Those included were the rookie nine, Asuma, Gai and his students, Kurenai, Genma, Tsunade (she was a good drinking buddy) and Iruka.

These were a lot of people for Kakashi to let in but they were all important to him. Not that any of them realised he was more at ease around him, or that he actually spoke of memories to them. Nor did they realise that some were more important to him than others. A lot more important.

Watching everyone start to settle in, he flicked his lone eye over to his girl. She seemed fine and for the moment he knew she was. As she watched Hinata nervously hand Naruto an extra pair of socks, her eyes shown with happiness. Kakashi noticed this and had to smile.

Yes, Sakura looked happy. But he wonder for how long, how long until her pain came back.


	4. Whispered Questions

I can't wait for the next chapter. I left a little preview at the end. I just love writing the crazy-stalker-killer bits. So fun. Although it's only a little bit, I can't have you finding out the plot too quick, can I now?

'**I keep closing my eyes but I can't block you out'**

Whispered Questions

Sleep had eluded her tonight and not for the first time. Since she was on a mission, Sakura knew the importance of sleep and would place herself in a medically-induced sleep by this point. Unfortunately for her, she had to take the second watch.

Standing up and stretching her muscles, the kunoichi decided to forego fake yawning. There was no point in deceiving the older man reading his smut right now. It was most certain that Kakashi had known she was awake but decided to ignore it. That man could be extremely careful of others feelings sometimes, most likely from making sure others knew that there were some things you did not intrude upon. Yet unease stirred in her stomach. Something was telling her to run from the copy-nin. He was going to do something, she just knew.

Sakura walked over to her ex-sensei; smiling cheerfully. "My turn" She stated, waiting for Kakashi to stand up and walk over to his makeshift bed.

What she didn't expect was for him to look up at her and say mysteriously "Come with me, Sakura." Pocket his novel and calmly walk off into the trees. That feeling of unease came back, much harder as she realised _he had put his book away_, something that rarely happened. And the way he had said her name, it sounded like a sin on his lips.

She so wasn't scared.

Okay, maybe just a little.

Flabbergasted, the medic-nin followed Kakashi until he stopped beside a creek. The same creek they'd used to catch dinner tonight. The older man was starring into the water, his slouch still portraying boredom. _'What is he up to?'_ she wondered.

"How long now?"

"How long now, what?" came her steady reply. Hands unconsciously tensing.

Kakashi turned to face her and questioned "How long have you been hiding this secret of yours?"

Silence.

That's all she could hear now. Sakura never expected him to ask that. So shocked was she, that the silence was deafening, if that's even possible.

Eyes wide, the kunoichi moistened her mouth and calmly (well as calm as one whose voice was shaking) stated "I have no secret."

A pre-genin would've known she'd lied.

Kakashi merely looked at her, his gaze clearly saying he didn't believe. But how could he know? When did he realise she was hiding something? This would explain why he had been acting so weird lately. A part of Sakura was relieved though. That small, small part shouting in the recesses of her mind. It wasn't inner Sakura but her subconscious rearing its ugly head. It kept saying _'Thank you sensei, thank you for noticing. Stay with me sensei. Save me. Save me. Please, save me.'_

Emerald eyes narrowed.

She didn't need to be saved.

"Sensei" her voice rang firm and clear "I believe it is my turn to take watch, so you can go to bed now."

Kakashi seemed to understand that she wasn't going to talk about this with him. Surprisingly he let the subject drop. Just a little bit stunned, Sakura let the silver-haired man walk past her. However, he stopped when his mouth was in-line with her ear.

A sensual voice whispered "I believe I stopped being your _sensei _a long time ago, my dear Sakura-chan."

Although for the rest of her watch, Sakura tried to convince herself the Kakashi's voice hadn't made her breath catch or warmth to pool in between her legs.

That would be inconceivable.

* * *

It took two more days to read the land of Rain. For the whole trip, his Sakura had been resolutely avoiding him. After than night, Kakashi had chosen to act as if their talk had never happened. Not that it was so much of a talk, as a question left unanswered.

So he chose to treat his pink-haired friend in the usual manner. However, she chose to ignore him if their conversation did not involve the mission or fleeing whenever they were alone together.

Kakashi thought she was frightened.

Since Kakashi could not seem to keep Sakura's attention, he chose to think back upon the last few years. There was something that must have happened to Sakura when she was younger.

After Naruto and Sasuke had both gone, the copy-nin was ashamed to admit he had abandoned his student. Though he would admit; he had never quite taught her anything to begin with. However, instead of focusing on his remaining student, he had let the Hokage take over and returned to ANBU. After all, the Hokage was better suited to teaching someone with fighting and personality characteristics similar to her own.

His students were now being taught by the legendary sannins and his first time as a teacher had failed. The only thing that consoled him was that at least Sakura, Naruto and even Sasuke would become stronger than he could have ever hoped to make them.

Yet even with Sakura in safe hands, the two and a half years she spent without him, something had happened. The silver-haired copy-nin thought back to any odd occurrences he heard of. Even though he did not see his students he had still kept tabs on them.

There was one time when Sakura was fourteen, and she was seen going off with a boy. When Kakashi heard about that, even though he trusted Sakura, the boy never spoke to her again after he had a _nice little chat _with him.

Then there was the time that she and Ino disappeared for three days. However, he thought that was most likely because they were renewing their friendship. After all, they were close afterwards.

Then there was the time when he saw the Hokage and his pink-haired medic nin training. Sakura hadn't been paying attention and the Hokage landed a hit to her sternum. She had gone flying. It had captured his notice because it was unlike Sakura to be so . . . so, distracted. What further confused him was that the Hokage, Tsunade-sama, had gone up to Sakura, laid an affectionate hand on her than pulled her into a mother embrace.

Everyone knew that the Hokage saw Sakura as her surrogate daughter and Sakura the same. So this must be something important. Yes. After this she was never the same.

'_How old was she? Remember. You should. For someone so young and youthful, you sure loved looking at her, her body. You dirty old man.' _That ugly voice whispered. How he hated it. He would never look at an innocent girl that way.

'_You wanted to feel that young body underneath your hands, that supple skin. Watch as a moan left her pink lips. Feel her back arch, thrusting her breasts towards you. That's what you wanted. You wanted her.' _

Focus. How old was she . . . how old . . . how old. _'Fifteen' _Kakashi thought. She must have been fifteen. Yes. Fifteen.

Had something happened before this? Damn. He should've been more vigilant. He didn't listen to his conscience, screaming that he was a _'dirty old man'_ for spying. He had always been coincidently reading in the trees near where Sakura was training. But that wasn't so he could watch her young, maturing limbs move with each strike, each block. Watch her strain with each hit and sweat to trickle down the valley between her breasts.

There was one important thing he remembered though. Her parents, they'd been found dead in her home when she was fifteen. Yes, fifteen. Now, that of course was tragic, but Sakura lived with death and had learned to live life to the full, to persevere.

Something more had to have happened.

He'd tried to find her. Even if his bed-side manner seemed detached and insincere, his pink-haired kunoichi would have been grateful that he came. But Kakashi had never found her.

He heard later that she had been kept in the hospital for over a week. No one would tell him why and when he saw how she had changed, he never asked.

That was it. That was when Sakura had begun hurting. That was when she had started to change, started to hold herself back, become detached. It was wrong. His little medic-nin (not that she was his) was always so vibrant, so bright, with a kind and open heart. But in a way he knew this would have to happen. To live as a ninja of Konoha meant that at some point, you would have to let go of your younger, naive self and mature. Sakura's change just happened to appear over night.

Okay. So that was it, he knew when it started. She was fifteen years old. Both Sasuke and Naruto were gone. He had distanced himself. Both her parents had been found dead and Sakura had then gone missing for a week.

Once this mission was over he would check the medical records on her parents' death and her time in the hospital. Then, if he didn't glean the necessary information from that, he would go talk to Tsunade-sama. If she refused to divulge information and then he went behind her back, she'd . . . who was he kidding? He'd do it anyway. He just wouldn't get caught.

"_Oh my sweet. There you are. I've been watching you . . . "_

Thank you to:

**EverythingINeverWanted:** Your threat actually made me work harder to make this chapter come out quicker. Lol.


	5. Attack on my mind

'**I don't care if it hurts, I wanna have control'**

Attack on my mind

"_Oh my sweet. There you are. I've been watching you. Did you like my dreams? I sent them to you every night. You look so beautiful, covered in all that blood. Your mother screamed too. Not as sweet as you scream though. And your pathetic father begged. Pleaded. Implored me that I should not hurt you._

_But your mine._

_My doll._

_My sweet._

_I can't wait to play with you again. I want to touch you. I want to feel you tremble beneath me. Don't you? I know you miss me. I know you look around in the dark shadows at night, like you feel me there, watching, waiting. But I can't get close to yet, my love. I'll have to bring you to me. That stupid slut Hokage thinks you need protection from me. She thinks that I'll stay away. I won't. Your mine, mine, all mine. And I won't stay away from my precious love, my sweet._

_My doll._

_My precious._

_My cherry blossom. Remember? That's what your father called you. But I'm your father now. I'm your father, mother, brother, sister, friend, lover. I'm all you have left. No family, just me. I'm your everything._

_My Sakura._

_Don't let that man touch you. I see him now. I can see through your mind, but only you can tell, my sweet. Don't push me out, love. I want to watch that ninja behind him kill him. _

_I want you to see him die."_

*

"Sensei behind you!" Sakura yelled.

She had felt _him _enter her mind and when he had seen the rogue shinobi behind Kakashi, she had noticed it too. His lone eye widened and Kakashi turned around in time to defend a kunai to the jugular. Sakura and the rest brought themselves to a stop, with Naruto racing towards Kakashi to help.

None of them had noticed the ninja. Not even Akamaru. Time seemed to move in slow motion, as it always did in the beginning of a fight. Naruto delivered a cutting elbow to the ninjas' face just as his three other companions came out of hiding.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and started to attack the ninja that had appeared from under the branch she was standing on. Kiba and Akamaru came in to help her as she was thrown to the forest floor.

Meanwhile Shino's form had dissolved into bugs when he was attacked as his real body had been following above. No one would ever say that Shino was not cautious by nature.

Sakura felt the wind stir behind her and turned to dodge three shuriken to her back. She couldn't see her opponent but he or she was here somewhere. Sakura kept an ear on the fights around her but focused on finding her target. There! The shinobi had camouflaged himself to the tree. Sakura threw her ninja weapons at the spot while making a clone to chase after the weapons.

Forming the substitution jutsu, the pink-haired nin appeared behind the branch. The weapons neared there mark. A decoy was left open to attack, and a clone followed the attack. Sakura channelled chakra into her hand and punched through the tree. An arm was hit as the ninja avoided the weapons and jumped straight into her clone.

Then the fight began.

It took about ten minutes before the enemy nin was defeated. Then she helped those still fighting. Within five more minutes, two of the ninjas were dead; Naruto had gone overboard, and the other two were severely injured. That was okay.

Now they had two enemies to interrogate. They must have been sent to kill them, although Sakura wondered how the organization knew about them already. This could present a problem.

Both of the ninja's had been subdued and bound to a tree whilst Hinata fussed over a cut in Naruto's arm. It wasn't that deep, a hit that had merely grazed the arm. Yet Hinata activated her healing jutsu and fixed Naruto up. Kyuubi would have healed it but Hinata was fiercely protective of her fox boy. It was cute to see the light blush adorning both of their faces.

The rest of the group seemed fine and when everyone was ready they stood in a circle around the prisoners. Everyone was focused on interrogating their attackers, whilst Sakura tried not to think about what had happened.

_He'd_ spoke to her.

_He_ would find her.

_He _said he would always come back for her.

'_Focus!'_ Inner Sakura yelled.

'_We must not let him take control. Focus on the task at hand. We can think upon this later.'_

"Who sent you?" Shino's eerie voice rang out, sending shivers down one of the rogue ninja's spine.

Resolutely ignoring them, the two remaining would-be-assassins said nothing. This would not please Shino. The bug-boy would not ask a question twice.

The rest of the group waited in silence until the nin that had shivered twitched. His comrade shot him a concerned look as the twitch turned to spasms. Whimpers tore from his mouth as the bugs began to eat his chakra away.

Shino's face showed nothing, nor did anyone else's. Even Hinata and Naruto, the most soft-hearted maintained an unfeeling face. These ninja's had come to kill their friends, loved ones and even though shinobi's themselves, they did not take to this well.

The man's whimpers had moved on from moans to screams until they reached a high, piteous wait. All the time Shino kept saying, "Answer the question and the pain will stop. It will all stop. Just answer the question."

The pain would stop with his death.

As a medic-nin, Sakura did not like having to stand by whilst a fellow being was injured and do nothing. She understood of course, that as a shinobi of Konoha, she would purposely injure and kill others according to her village's orders.

However, the pink-haired nin was a more kill them or heal them type, torture was not something she stomached easily. Hearing and seeing others being purposely tortured brought back painful memories . . .

Of dark nights and broken in doors.

Blood.

Pain.

Hurt.

Loss.

In that moment, Sakura took her eyes of off the restrained comrade of the one being tortured. There was no reason for what happened but she supposed they had already planned it. In case of capture all shinobi must follow one rule –'_Escape at all costs'_. If you cannot escape, then you '_die taking as many of them down with you.'_

When a prisoner, you will always be tortured until you have given up your secrets then slowly killed. The two rogue shinobi had seen the other two of their platoon fall. Captured, beaten and being tortured for information they put their back up plan into action.

The screams suddenly stopped and a strangled gasp came from Shino's throat. The genjutsu that must have been laid from before set foot into this area, activated. Sakura had been holding back her senses since _him_ and therefore had not noticed.

None of the others had sensed it and Kakashi had not had to reveal his lone Sharingan. They had no warning and it had deceived Shino's bugs and Akamaru's nose, they had no chance.

The pink-haired medic would describe genjutsu as a flower. There were so many layers that by the time she released herself from it, the assassins were gone and forty minutes had passed. Kakashi had already escaped the genjutus, Shino and Naruto as well. They had gone to help the others.

Naruto was focused on helping Hinata as through the years he had become quite adept at releasing genjutu's. All that enormous power was useful when used the right way. Shino's bugs had already latched themselves onto Kiba and were only just focusing on Akamaru. That meant that Kakashi was the one who had helped her.

The warmth from his hand made her want to lean in closer. Yet she couldn't because both his eyes were focused on her. It was startling how attractive and tough the older man looked with his eyes showing. Not just because the Sharingan or the jagged scar tracing down his cheek, but the look in his eyes.

Utterly confident and cold.

Though the intensity and seriousness in his eyes, proved that Kakashi was not a happy sensei. Leader. Man. Guy. Hot, attractive specimen of maleness . . . uh . . . just . . . damn . . . He wasn't happy.

"They got away. They bloody got away. Are we going after them, Kaka-sensei!?" Naruto yelled, furious as they all were.

"There is no point in doing so, Naruto. They have already gone." Kakashi replied, still looking into her eyes.

Sakura fears that he can see right through her and looks away. It is annoying that at a time like this, all she can think is that his skin is so soft and that she feels safe when he is around her like this . . . it sends tingles down to her belly and lower.

Eyes drawn to Naruto, Sakura watches as he sniffs the air. The blondes voice slightly growls, "You're right. They are long gone and they took the time to lay five different scent tracks."

Shino cuts in saying, "Even though this was not expected, we should focus on the mission. It takes priority. We cannot let ourselves be distracted. I have gained the characteristics of the two rogue ninja and implanted them in my bugs. They will warn me if they are near again."

Once everyone had been freed from the genjutsu, they all agreed to Shino's plan. Kakashi decided however, that they will report these events back to Tsuande-sama, sending Pakkun with a scroll.

The whole time Sakura knew what Kakashi must have been thinking. How did she know the assassins were there before anyone else? She has never been better at finding enemies against others who are naturally characterised for hunting.

Kakashi must suspect. Or maybe she is being too paranoid? What would he suspect? That she was in league with the assassins? Would kill him, Naruto, Hinata, her friends? NO.

Kakashi knew where her loyalties, not even the love she once had for Sasuke could have taken her away from Konoha. She would never betray her home and those she loved dearly. No. Kakashi would not suspect. He would just say it was luck. The kunoichi would let him believe it was luck, saying she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

Hopefully he wouldn't look underneath the underneath.

That's it.

He wouldn't suspect. There is nothing to suspect.

Two hours after the initial attack, a plan had been formed and everyone was restored to their original health. They were only a day away from the Oasis village and headed off immediately. After all, they did have a mission to complete.

Sakura ignored the lingering words in her head, playing on repeat. Not even realising her body shaking, but Kakashi did, he noticed.

"_Your mine, mine, all mine. And I won't stay away from my precious love, my sweet._

_My doll._

_My precious._

_My cherry blossom."_


	6. For now I sleep

'**Don't try to breathe. Don't try to run away'**

For now I sleep

There wasn't any laughter. That was the first thing Kakashi didn't like. In small, close-knit towns such as this, young children would be running around, playing, laughing. But he saw now children. He heard no laughter. It unnerved Kakashi.

The second thing he didn't like was how desolate the place seemed. There was no life to fill the streets: no shop owners trying to sell their wares, no people doing everyday things or children playing in the street. Anyone they did see, (and they were few) looked haggard, worn and scared. He could see the fear in their eyes.

The third thing the grey-haired nin did not like was the way he could not get his mind off of yesterday. He could not understand how Sakura had detected the rogue shinobi before he did. Not that he didn't believe his, no, not his, Sakura was capable. But he should have noticed.

Damn it, he was getting old. He knew he should be focusing on the two things he did not like about this village but he was stuck on the third problem. Kakashi should've been focusing on his team when they booked for two rooms in a hot, but he was too busy suspecting Sakura.

Of what, he did not know.

He knew she would never betray Konoha or its people. The famous sharingan should have been focusing on reality, that way he wouldn't have let his disappointment show through when he, Naruto and Sakura finally entered room 9. Hinata, Shino and Kiba were gone; they had already entered room 8.

Kakashi finally came back to earth when he realised that his Sakura and Naruto were going to share the bed tonight. That he wouldn't get to hold her in his arms and whisper in her ear. The disappointment gave way to anger, something he should not have let happen for Naruto and Sakura both looked at him confused, wondering why the usually stoic man was glaring intensely at Naruto, fists clenched.

Naruto took a step back behind Sakura, giving a sheepish smile to the enraged older man.

'_All because you were so focused on her. Talk about obsessed,' _patronised his subconscious. He always that thing it -

'_How you want to be in that bed with her. Pink hair splayed out on the bed, tousled, sticky with sweat. Body's sliding, hands gripping each others and her body rocking with each thrust. You dirty old man.' _

- made keeping his perverted fantasy's hard to escape from.

Now if he was by himself, he would have no problem letting his imagination run wild. At his uncharacteristic show of emotion, the silver-haired nin uses his quick-thinking to pull out his favoured, orange book.

Giving the stunned teenagers -

'_Teenagers. You sure do lik'em young Kakashi.'_

- a quick eye crease, Kakashi disturbed them by defending that "Too long without Icha Icha and a man's blood starts to boil. I remember what mission I was on, with a nice kunoichi. Well we both got lost on the path of life at that one point when –"

"We do not need to hear that Kakashi-sensei! Just go . . . go . . . do whatever it is that you need to do!" Sakura panicked, blushing wildly and gesturing with her hands for him to go somewhere . . . anywhere. Just to make her stop thinking those dirty things. Not that he knew what she was thinking. He hoped.

No, he didn't!

Kakashi was her sensei, no; not anymore, but he was once; a long time ago. He was so confused.

So Kakashi gave Sakura and Naruto an eye crease before descending into the room. The copy-nin went to the couch, looked at it and then proceeded to pull out his sleeping gear. No one questioned why.

It was painstakingly obvious that the couch was not a couch. It was instead a mucus-coloured, monster-filled, death-trap made for hiding rodents that would nibble you to death with their tiny fangs until you resembled a busted, over-ripe tomato that had died a painful, gruesome death.

At least that was what he saw when he looked at it.

It was nearing dusk by the time everyone had got settled and unpacked, although being shinobi, everything they needed was usually on their person.

Kakashi had made sure to remain aloof as Naruto and Sakura squabbled over their bed rights.

_Their _bed.

He was becoming to possessive concerning Sakura; always wanting to be near her. He had no romantic intentions towards her – _'Maa! Yeah right,' _– so he must conclude that it came from his insatiable curiousity about her.

'_Yeah. Curious about what she tastes like or what those perky breasts would feel like under your hands, so soft and sweet that – ' _

And that was all.

The silver-haired nin put no further thought into these matters while they ate dinner and talked about the mission. He absolutely refused to give it thought as Naruto and Sakura got into bed either. He focused instead on how nice it was that Hinata and her teammates were close. And when that started to fail, he read his Icha Icha until the lights were off and everyone was asleep. (The moonlight is not very helpful for one lone eye to read in. He was tempted to use his sharingan but would most likely end up using it to observe Sakura instead.)

Before he drifted off to sleep, Kakashi caught sight of Naruto and Sakura tangled in each others limbs, and even though the jealousy coursed through his veins, smiled languidly over the pure simple love his two students had for each other.

* * *

If she didn't know any better, she would say Kakashi was acting, well, jealous. Of course that was preposterous. As if the silver-haired nin would be jealous about anything concerning her. Sure, she was pretty (much more than Ino-pig!), could break the ground with her pinkie and had the most amazing friends . . . well in that case, Sakura lived a pretty damn good life.

'_Yeah, cause you're so happy. We are not happy,'_ quipped her inner.

Shut up!

It was odd though; something that Sakura would never have thought to happen. But when Kakashi had realised that her and Naruto would be sharing a bed, he shot the fox-boy a glare that had him shivering behind her.

Today had yielded unpleasant results so the kunoichi was just happy to go to bed. Her thoughts lingered on her sensei . . . ex-sensei. Why did she always have to remind herself of that?

'_Because sensei sounds so provocative and sensual when you use it on him.'_

Oh, well. Could she imagine being underneath him . . . calling him Kakashi-sensei . . . Kashi-kun . . . mine . . . begging to thrust faster . . . go deeper. Okay.

Stop.

Let's uh, keep it at least to M+ fantasy in my head, okay? Sakura decided it was best to focus on something else.

Kakashi was already in his makeshift bed; there was no way anyone would subject themselves to lay on that disgusting, rabies-infested couch. Naruto had donned his sleeping wear and was moving over so she could fit in the bed too. The blonde, hyperactive shinobi and herself had taken to sharing beds if need be. This had started happening after their first attempt to bring Sasuke back, when Sai had carelessly wondered why they did not share a bed if Naruto was so dickless that he would not be able to do anything.

She'd just stared at Sai, too shocked to pound his head. Naruto did not have the same problem and that night Sai spent with half his face bruised and Sakura refusing to heal it.

The first time that they did share a bed however, was a little . . . uncomfortable. Most likely because the kunoichi had started to respond to Narutos' feelings. It irked her how she did not even realise how kind and beautiful Naruto was until Sasuke was gone.

When she looked back at herself, at all the _Sasuke-kun's _and _go away Narutos'_, she felt ashamed of herself. So she started to fall for Naruto, realising that she'd been throwing away a man he said he loved her and would die for her.

'_Thank goodness we got over that quickly though! Imagine how Hinata would have felt if the love of her life went off with his teammate!_'

Although she dearly, dearly loved Naruto, it was in a brotherly way; he was her self-proclaimed adopted brother. Also, she knew inner Sakura was right,

'_Of course I am,'_

She never would have been able to live with the guilt if Hinata had found out. She was such a kind girl and she suited Naruto. Not to mention that she had loved him from the very beginning, something the medic-nin could not claim.

No, Hinata was a much better match for Naruto then her; they were perfect for each other.

Over time Naruto had settled down and matured, though still crazy, loud and unpredictable. And he'd also realised that his dream girl had been their all along. One night at her house, when Naruto came over, he'd told her all about his feelings for the Hyugga heiress. It hadn't taken much prodding from the pink-haired kunoichi and on that night she'd known that she had done the right thing.

Naruto had finally fallen deeply and truly in-love with the girl who had been their all along, even if he hadn't known it.

After that first time, it was easy to adjust to sleeping beside Naruto; he was like her own big, living, breathing, blonde-haired teddy bear.

As Sakura wormed her way under the sheets, her best friends' legs wrapped around hers and his hand went behind her hip. She snuggled into him, breathing his ramen-flavoured scent and laughing as he nuzzled her cheek. He truly was fox-like in his mannerisms.

Naruto pulled back so their noses were touching and plonked his head on the pillow. Sakura could feel her eyes drooping.

Placing her hands against his chest, she gave him a quick peck on the lips before whispering goodnight. He brought down his other hand to clasp over hers before replying in a loud whisper, "goodnight, too." They both wished Kakashi a goodnight before drifting off in each others warm embrace.

Sakura didn't think Kakashi had heard them.

_The door looked funny. She could have sworn her parents had said that they were leaving, spending a night out. So why did the door look like someone had ripped it off its hinges?_

_Inside, the blood, oh god, too much blood, it was everywhere._

"_My sweet, do you remember?"_


	7. To dream a nightmare

Well at least you'll get to know more about Sakura's _mystery_ stalker.

'**Now I'm drowning in my fears'**

To dream a nightmare

_The door looked funny. She could have sworn her parents had said that they were leaving, spending a night out. So why did the door look like someone had ripped it off its hinges?_

_Inside, the blood, oh god, too much blood, it was everywhere._

"_My sweet, do you remember?"_

_She was trying to scream out. Mum! Dad! But her voice was silent. What was happening? Why couldn't she speak? Cry? Scream for help?_

_His hands on her. The cuts he made. She would never forget him. He had scarred her forever._

"_I have control. You're all mine. My sweet. My cherry blossom. Won't you come to me?"_

_Darkness, his voice was all she could hear._

_No. No! Why were her feet moving?_

"_That's right. Come to me. You know I am the only one for you."_

_She couldn't. She wouldn't! No. The images flashed across her mind, memories of time she had tried so hard to forget. Her mothers' blood. Warm, barely cold. He'd finished right before she'd come back so that she would know that her mother lay dying while she was only footsteps away._

_A chunnin at the time, she should have been better, damnit. Why couldn't she do anything?_

_Her fathers' empty eyes. Step over the body. Don't look down. If you look down you'll never get back up._

"_Come to me, come to me."_

No. No! No!

"_I'll make you come to me, my love. Get up. Walk out of that room, away from the other shinobi. Come to the empty fields. I'm waiting for you; I've always been waiting for you. Do not try to defy me, cherry blossom," his voice was silky, whispering what anyone would take for endearments into her dreams. _

But it made her skin crawl, her chest heave, fear course through her body and the old, familiar feel of her parents' blood to cover her body, just like that night.

Go away, please, please . . .

He laughed lightly, mocking her plea_ "oh, never my love, I will never leave you alone. We will be together forever, you and I, as it is meant to be. I am the only one you have left." _She knew it was only because he'd killed those who she loved most. He wanted her alone so that she would cling to him, but she never would.

"_You will love me; embrace me in your arms. I am everything to you my precious Sakura," _his voice slithered over her name, making her shiver in fear.

"_And when we are once again together, you will lie before me, waiting. I will finally get what I have always wanted my sweet, you. I will take you, and you will enjoy it. That other one, the one you call Kakashi" _his voice went hard here, filled with rage when he said her sensei's name.

"_He will die, by your own hand. You will smile my dear and wonder how you ever could have wanted him. Oh, I know you want him." _Sakura could feel the smirk on his face, how he knew her emotions made her heart still. _"But you will never have him. You will only have me."_

She had to remember where she was. Sakura knew that this had happened all before; that night was long past and she would not draw fear from only memories.

She was nineteen now, a jounin, and an independent woman who had already lived through the pain of burying her parents. He was just sending her memories; nightmares. She had to get out of here.

The kunoichi remembered a village; empty and obsolete. Her friends, a masked man, sharing a bed. A mission. That's right. Sakura was on a mission. Sleeping now, dreaming. Naruto. Her brother. They were sharing a bed, but she couldn't feel the fox boys' warmth. For that matter, why was there no bed beneath her body? Oh no. _He_ was making her come to _him_. Those whispers in her head were _his_ commands. _He_ had control.

"_Sakura, your father and I are going out tonight, why don't you sleep over a t that lovely friends of yours, Ino's house? You should be out enjoying yourself, my dear, "her mother suggested, teasing her daughter and her work-a-holic tendencies. _

_A fifteen-year-old Sakura just scowled back, "Ino-pig? As if! Why would I want to hang with her?"_

"_Don't get cranky at me my dear, just because you don't like admitting that you adore the girl."_

"_Mum!" Don't let anyone hear you say that!"_

"_No, now my cherry blossom," her Dad interrupted, "you wouldn't want anyone to think that Ino knows how to relax better than you do. Next you know, everyone will be saying that you should be more like Ino." Both her parents smiled disarmingly at her as she flushed with anger and embarrassment._

_It quickly turned to a small smile and she rolled her eyes and quipped, "I love you two idiots."_

Grass was underneath her feet, soft, wet. The memories of her parents were gone and she was no longer moving. Sakura was not inside the hotel, no longer safe in Naruto's embrace.

_His_ taunts were gone. Only the sound of the wind blowing surrounded her.

"_You're waiting for me, how sweet," _his voice mocked. Sakura could feel the pull of his voice, the scars on her tingling like mad.

Whispers in her head, _"so close. So close. I'm almost to you my sweet."_

'_Get out of my head, shannaro!'_ screamed Inner Sakura. She helped her inner, putting all her willpower into escaping this jutsu. She felt him push back, he was too close. Over the years, the pink-haired nin had come to realise that the closer he was, the stronger his hold over her became.

He was so close; she had to snap out of it. She had to! Sakura came back to her body as she fought him harder. She could feel her legs again, her arms, her face as it scrunched up in pain.

'_DON'T TRY TO FIGHT ME!'_ The voice in her head screamed. Almost, almost. Sakura couldn't let him get her; he'd take her away from Tsunade, Naruto, Ino . . . from Kakashi. The words, "no, I won't let you take me away" fell from her lips. A hand on her cheek was the last thing she felt before she fainted.

Kakashi watched as she got up from the bed and continued to watch, as he followed her out of the village. It crossed his mind that she could be walking into a trap and that he should wake her up now. Something told him, however, to let things play out for the moment.

The grey-haired nin wasn't an idiot; he knew that his kunoichi was hiding something big from him; from everyone.

She finally stopped in the middle of a meadow. His feet were cold and wet; he hadn't had time to put on shoes. He kept hidden behind shrubbery even though it seemed as if Sakura did not notice him. Better to be safe than sorry.

Watching her, he noticed how peaceful her face was. It was difficult to remember the last time her face had been free from stress and worry. But this peacefulness was not hers, it looked forced. The brightest kunoichi in the village had become withdrawn and entirely focused on her work.

Naruto usually did seem to be able to elicit a smile from her. Even Kakashi knew, that without his mask, he wouldn't have been able to hide the amount of times he had smiled at the fox boys antics.

Sakura looked ethereal, standing in the moonlight, clothed in pyjamas, hair moving with the wind, skin shining white and face peaceful.

But her face contorted, taking that peaceful look away. Her arms started to move and her hands clenched. It looked like she was fighting whatever jutsu she was under.

'_That's our girl'._

* * *

The copy-nin continued to watch as Sakura struggled to get control of her body. This went on for minutes and he could not take it any longer. It hurt him to much to see her like this, in pain. Leaving his hidden spot behind the shrubbery, Kakashi walked towards his kunoichi.

A spike in chakra stopped him in his path. It had come from Sakura's upper legs but had been too quick for him to analyse. All he had felt was an overwhelming sense of cruelty, maliciousness and possessiveness.

He remembered that day, the day that had started all this. He had seen her before her parent's graves, skirt raised, thighs cut, and blood everywhere. He knew she thought he had not seen the older scars, the ink kanji written on her.

The jutsu was unknown to him and he had not been able to read all the words. One word stood out though. Death. Whatever had happened, death had been involved. Now was not the time to wonder at questions he had no answer too. He needed to use Obito's gift.

Hastily pulling up his head band, he focused on Sakura with his lone sharingan. As everything became sharper and clearer, Kakashi noticed that a dark yellow chakra had latched itself around Sakura's legs; travelling upwards, towards her head. So it was that jutsu and it was heading for her brain.

Her own light green chakra was fighting back, like white blood cells trying to purge the body of infection. Observing time was over now. She needed help. Rushing towards her, his hand reaching out, her voice whispered, "no, I won't let you take me away."

As his hand lay upon her cheek, he felt the evil presence, that dark chakra leave her and she collapsed into his arms. Far off in the distance, the dark yellow chakra swirled around a man, hidden in shadows. His eyes, the colour off his chakra, were the brightest lights in the night.


	8. Don't look back, Keep going

Sorry this took so long to get out. I had it finished but I just never had the time to post it.

'**You hold me without touch. You keep me without chains'**

Keep going, don't look back

It was warm and Sakura could smell the faint ramen scent that lingered around Naruto. A soft tap to her head and soft words "Sakura-chan, its time to get up" roused her from the dreamy shores of sleep. Naruto was already dressed and had turned to complain to Kakashi that he was starving.

She was confused.

Why was she here?

The last thing she remembered was . . . was, fighting, something, oh, something, someone, it was on the tip of her tongue. Who was she fighting?

Oh. She'd been fighting _him_.

He'd been trying to get her to come to him; forcing her body to move against her will. The pink-haired Nin remembered the cold, wet grass beneath her feet and the soft breeze in the air. His malicious chakra had surrounded her own, activated through the seals he had left on her body. She had been losing, but then strength from somewhere else, a chakra that was not hers, rushed through her body. Sakura had purposely reached out and taken it.

A familiar, soft hand on her cheek had brought her out of that fight and Sakura knew that whatever she'd done, the strength that pushed _him_ away, it wasn't hers. It was the power of whoever had laid their hand upon her cheek.

The kunoichi was aware of who it must have been, she just hoped that there were no lingering side-effects and that he asked no questions of her. That was wishful thinking. If he had been watching her closely before, then Sakura was never going to escape Kakashi's gaze.

Getting up and grabbing her ninja outfit, she hid in the bathroom and got dressed. Even when she was ready and presentable, she stayed inside, leaning her head against the door. Memories of the night before crept into her mind.

Mum.

Dad.

Dead on the ground.

Him.

That yellow-eyed bastard. How she wished he was dead.

Allowing her mind to drift away from such thoughts, she felt Kakashi on the other side. The grey-haired Nin was teasing Naruto on the lack of ramen stands. He was amused and would continue to tease just to get the fox boy worked up. Underneath the mirth, Sakura could feel the care and love he had for his former students. Then she could not feel him anymore; his emotions hidden by an impenetrable wall.

Sakura came back to herself when she realised that she had felt Kakashi's emotions and understood some of what he was thinking. That should not be possible.

No ninja could use a jutsu that would allow the user to understand another so completely. The thought of such power did not exist. Her sensei must have noticed the intrusion and shut her out. Hopefully he wouldn't suspect it was her.

This must be a result of what she had done, whatever that was. She would think upon this later. Taking a deep breath and leaving the safety of the bathroom, Sakura went into the room. After making sure everyone was ready, the rooms had been paid for another night and avoiding Kakashi's eyes, the three ninja's went to Shino, Hinata and Kiba's room.

Over breakfast, provided by Hinata, which Naruto profusely thanked her for, they planned their actions for the day. Today was recon and Sakura knew that the best spot to hear all the town gossip is in the pub. The others all had their own ideas, so each went to the place they had chosen.

Before they all headed off in different directions, Kakashi gave the order to rendezvous at the creek they had passed on the way in at fifteen-hundred.

Using a henge, they each changed to normal civilians. Sakura changed the colour of her hair and eyes, forehead (any chance to make her forehead smaller, was time well spent), the shape of her face and lastly her clothes.

She knew she looked like a completely different person; it was exactly what she needed.

The desolate town slightly freaks her out. Sakura could almost imagine a dry hay ball rolling through the middle of the street. The village is not big, housing only two bars. She headed towards the closest one. It had no sign out the front but the smell of sake and the feeling of mass depressed civilian is all the indication the now, sandy-coloured kunoichi needed.

There are two ways she can play this: as the flirty, hard newcomer or the silent, mysterious traveller. The flirty newcomer gets into all the conversations, privy to all the gossip but the mysterious traveller can pull the important information out of loose-lipped men, or women, women get drunk too.

For a bunch of drunk, scared and oppressed (something bad was happening in this town) civilians, they would be too careful to blab anything important to a fresh-faced newcomer. So silent, mysterious traveller it was.

Entering the bar, Sakura quickly scanned the faces that lay staring into their glasses of Sake. Only a few had looked up at her arrival, seen that this person gave of an air of danger and went back to their drinks. Of those who had looked up, one had gotten so nervous that the ice in his glass had shook and his neck must be now aching from the speed with which he threw his head down.

Sakura sat down beside the man, taking care to not make a sound, appearing at his side in an instant. Shinobi speed always caught civilians unaware. The man had muted green hair; an odd and peculiar colour that seemed normal and dull despite its rarity. The poor man looked like he was about to have a heart attack when he realised that the sandy-haired stranger was sitting next to him.

Sakura caught the bartender's attention, ordering a drink to give her victim some time to compose himself. Turning her attention back on the nervous man, she could see that he hadn't composed himself at all.

Sakura internally sighed.

The medic-nin always felt sorry for scared civilians being harassed by shinobi, this wasn't what ninja were meant to do but not everyone was good and decent. Thus missing-nins and traitors were created.

"Tell me about this place, I have not been here before."

The man jumped. "Uh, not-thing to tell, mi-miss."

Voice soft and gentle. "What is your name?"

The man looked even more apprehensive at this question, stuttering out, "Hi-hikaru."

"That means light doesn't it," Sakura said, giving Hikaru her full attention. "Tell me Hikaru-" The man shivered when she said his name "-how would you like to have a little chat with me? Hmm? I know things you see, Hikaru, but I would like to know more." Sakura leant closer to the shaking man with his fingers clenched around his drink. "You want to tell me what I want to know, don't you Hikaru?" she whispered, leaning close into his personal space.

Hikaru gulped, fear shone in his eyes and he was heavily intoxicated. Sakura held back the urge to smile triumphantly.

Oh, he would tell her everything.

*

Since Sakura had finished her mission quickly she decided to wander. Hikaru had been a source of precious information and she had planted the bug that Shino had given her, on him. It was just a niggling feeling she had that he would go tattle-tale on the mysterious woman who he had divulged information to.

Of course he would say that Sakura had used some type of jutsu on him to avoid punishment, or he might not even admit to telling her anything. Who knows, he might get punished either way. She didn't know what type of people this organization Hikaru had told her about were like.

It did not matter. Hikaru had played his part. If everything went as planned then Hikaru would lead them to the illegal organization. He hadn't known the name of the organization but had recounted what had happened when they had arrived in the village.

People had started to disappear, wealthy people were robbed and no one would trade with them anymore, until the village was full of fear and mistrust. Now no one knew who was behind all the trouble until one month ago, when a woman with blue hair had appeared in the centre of the village.

She told them that their village was a part of their territory now and that if they did not keep their mouth shut, bad things would happen. Some had fought back, enraged at their capture. Everyone kept quiet after the first nine were publicly executed.

Supposedly the woman had an insider who would go back and report information. Sakura suspected Hikaru for the fact that he had mentioned a spy in details, trying to detract attention from himself. It had only succeeded in making Sakura sure that he was trying to keep his allegiances quiet. He was probably being given promises of safety for his traitorous way, something that this Konoha kunoichi could not, would not understand.

The aim of this organization was unknown, the members and specifics of the group also unknown. She hoped that the others had uncovered the information that Hikaru could not tell.

Sakura had left the darker part of the village and now stood looking out at a large body of water. This village was in the Land of Water; it made sense that everything would be wet. The surface of the lake glittered in the sun, reminding her of the blade of a kunai.

A longing to cut filled her but she ignored it. The medic-nin dropped to her knees beside the muddy bank, looking at her reflection. Last night he had almost got her, almost taken her away from everyone she loved.

But Kakashi had saved her. She had realised after this morning's meeting and the brief view into her Kakashi's emotions that it was his hand upon her cheek. If he had not been there . . .

'_Don't think about it!'_

The pink-haired Nin looked at her watery mirage, her eyes a dull brown, skin sallow and hair a different colour. Even with a henge she looked tired and defeated.

'_Not defeated, just a little . . . broken.'_

"Yeah," Sakura snorted to herself. "Just a little broken."

Bending down closer to her reflection, she reached out to put her hand on her mirage. Yet when her hand touched the surface is wasn't her henge staring back at her but him.

She froze.

His messy black hair fell over his eyes and his smile had that knowing predator tilt to it. He looked horrifyingly exotic. Beautiful.

"I almost had you, my sweet." He whispered before his face dissolved.

Her hand lay frozen against her reflection.


	9. One wrong move and we all fall down

Yay. The next chapter! Thank you reviewers!

'**I've got to stop my mind, working overtime, it's driving me insane. It will not let me live, always so negative. Save me. Save me. Save me. Woah.'**

One wrong move and we all fall down

Five hours after he had started his search, Kakashi met everyone back at the rendezvous point. Although he might chronically be late in most aspects of his life, being on a mission was an entirely different matter. He had planted his bug that Shino had given him on a rather . . . promiscuous girl that had wanted to see under his mask.

It had all been fine until she'd purred sensei in his ear, whispering all the dirty things she wanted to learn. When that had happened the blonde in his lap had gotten pink, strawberry locks and her eyes looked emerald green. The copy-nin couldn't decide between letting the fantasy play out or leave as fast as he could. Sheer will kept him from doing either, and if you knew what a pervert he was, you would understand how difficult it was not to.

He'd gotten all the information he could out of her, placed the bug and done things that made him think of his student. To get away, he'd pulled down his mask, kissed the life out of her and said he had to leave. The girl was so dazed she didn't even react to him leaving. Feeling quiet good about himself, the grey-haired nin had chased up a few other sources; none as helpful as the first.

Now he'd arrived third here; Shino and Kiba being the first two. Naruto and Hinata were still gone, he sincerely hoped that they would get together soon, even though it was fun to tease. Sakura was gone as well, hopefully she would be back soon.

'_Are you missing her already?'_

10 minutes later both Hinata and Naruto appeared. Kakashi felt his perverted heart sink at the lack of rumpled clothes and messed up hair.

"Looks like you two must have accidentally ran into each other, even though you were searching opposite of the villages," said Kakashi, an eye crinkling when both of their faces turned bright red. It was so much more enjoyable now that Hinata didn't faint her way out of an awkward situation.

They were saved from answering when Sakura appeared in a swirl of leaves behind them. It was unfortunate that his teasing would be cut short but it was time to see what everyone had gleaned from the townsfolk.

"All right team, report."Everyone snapped to attention, divulged their information and informed Shino on who and where they had placed his bugs. It seemed that an organization of eleven heads with four enforces controlled the town and had been ransacking and kidnapping important children from the neighbouring towns.

The woman that Sakura mentioned was the only head leader ever seen in the town. Their aims were unknown but the leaders were missing nin. Now that everyone was aware of the information gathered, he decided to let Shino sync with their planted bugs.

"Shino, tune in with each bug please," Kakashi commanded. "We need to know what is going on." The bug shinobi nodded and hooked himself in, reporting the details of each bugs surroundings. The accounts were unremarkable until they got to Sakura's bug.

"The subject is on the outskirts of the town, following a blue-haired woman," reported Shino. "The subject has stopped outside a cave. From what I can see, they seem to be north west of our inn. The woman is doing something to the cave. It is a jutsu, I can hear her saying it." Silence reigned for a moment as Shino listened. "I don't know what jutsu it was but she most definitely said kai at the end."

"There must be a barrier or genjutsu surrounding the cave," Kakashi suggested, looking at Hinata. "When we get there, I will need you to do a sweep of the area with your Byakyugan Hinata." The shy girl nodded, face serious.

The grey-haired man felt his lips curl when he saw Naruto look at Hinata with awed eyes. This would be wonderful ammunition to throw at Naruto when he was irritating him.

"They're inside." Shino stated, pulling their leader back to the mission. Shino then seemed to freeze, his body still and face hidden behind glasses and shirt. "A . . . a, room," he stuttered, making everyone tense up as they had never heard the stoic man falter before.

"Shino?" Sakura questioned, concerned and in medic mode. The copy-nin had noticed that she had looked somewhat shocked when she had come back, as if she had seen a ghost. Yet whatever was on her mind when to the backburner as Shino became worse.

The bug nins' breath became audible and sweat glistened of his brow. "A large, circular room. Eleven . . . yes, eleven p-people," Shino pushed out, his hand clenched. "The woman, she is turning. Something is h-happening to my bug. Disorientation. Faint. Fever. Confusion. The subject is –" Shino's body went ramrod straight and Kakashi tore of his head band, Sharingan focused on the unmoving boy.

Hinata and Kiba had called out in alarm at the sight of their teammate's composure. Focusing his Sharingan, he saw something leading its way into Shino's body. Calling Sakura over, he told her "at the centre of his spine." She moved towards the spot, searching. "Yes, there. Now push your chakra into that spot." She did so, her chakra gentle and precise. "Yes. Do you feel it?"

The pink-haired girl nodded as she felt the foreign chakra invading Shino.

"Now," Kakashi said firmly. "I want you to make a thin blade and sever the chakra from Shino's spine."

A look of deep concentration came over Sakura as she gently cut around the bug nins spine, careful because one wrong move and Shino would never be a shinobi again.

"What next?" Sakura asked gently. Kakashi thought quickly. He had seen this before but he wasn't sure what to do next. If his memory served him right, either healing chakra of killing chakra would completely destroy the foreign chakra; which was right was a whole new problem.

"Sakura, I need you to use a tiny bit of healing chakra, okay?" He had to check which one was right but time was running out, Shino's breath came in gasps that took longer and longer to come.

"Okay." He watched as the medics chakra connected with the foreign chakra.

He yelled "stop! Stop!" when he saw the chakra inside Shino grow and start to wrap itself around the bug boys' spine again. "Okay, use your killing chakra."

"Are you sure?" Sakura clarified, a worried expression on her face. He just nodded, certain that this was the right move. Everyone watched with baited breath as Sakura injected killing chakra into Shino's body. Silence reigned and no one moved. Kakashi watched, his Sharingan blazing, as finally the foreign chakra disappeared.

Shino moved, his breath returned to normal and everyone let out a sigh of relief. He watched as his medic checked Shino over, everyone expressing happiness at their friends reviving health. Kiba and Hinata both fussed over their teammate, neither able to see the blush that had adorned the boys features.

The copy-nin moved onto the next question. What had happened to Shino and his bugs?

Naruto was the first to ask. To which Shino replied, "it was an electric chakra charged barrier. I have encountered these symptoms before but never in myself. Because of the electric current it infects the invaders chakra stream and disrupts the flow. This results in a build-up near the centre of the spine, causing the bone to snap cleanly in half."

"That's awful" Hinata gasped, with everyone nodding in agreement. Shino was slightly winded after his words and nearly fell over when Akamaru bounded over to lick his face, knocking Naruto into Hinata.

Kakashi's mind whirled. They had to get inside, they needed more information.

"I saw more though," Shino continued, leaning into Akamaru. "Before my bug died, the subject was in a large, circular room. A table was in the centre and eleven people were sitting around it."

"Must be those bastards," Kiba and Naruto growled, thinking alike.

Shino continued. "They are going to kidnap the daughter of the nearest town's mayor and hold her for ransom. I do not know when though."

Kakashi absorbed this. They would definitely have to attack tonight now that they knew someone had tried to invade their headquarters."Thank you Shino," the grey-haired nin spoke before explaining his plan of what they were going to do.

They needed to get in that cave.

* * *

No one had asked why she was later than everyone else of why her face was white as a sheet. After he had appeared, she had stayed frozen for who knows how long. When the sun had shone into her eyes, reflecting the water, the medic-nin realised she need to leave.

Then the incident with poor Shino had overwhelmed everyone's mind. It was not often that Shino was placed in such a precarious situation. Now stationed outside the cave, two hours after their rendezvous, the pin-haired kunoichi went over Kaka-sensei's plan.

Kakashi.

They had received an earplug before departing Konoha, so Kakashi had asked for the group to equip themselves and set to channel four. The bug boy could not go inside until the barrier was deactivated.

Naruto and Hinata were to head in first, scouting the area. Once Naruto, who had become adept at seals and barrier because of Kyuubi, released the barrier, Shino would join them. Akamaru and Kiba would then go in, signalling to her and Kakashi to come inside. For now they waited as back up, hidden behind a tree, ready to fight eleven missing ninjas to the death and hoping that everything would go according to plan.

And everything did follow Kakashi's plan.

Yet moments after Kiba had radioed in, saying the cave was empty, her ex-sensei had turned towards her. Sakura remained still as the man she loved placed his hand upon her cheek, a gesture that had happened only the night before. This brought back memories of him and she was sure the copy-nin could see the pain and fear in her eyes.

"You will tell me someday Sakura. Remember you are not alone, there are many people who consider you their precious person." She watched with wide eyes and a baited breath as he leaned in. "After all," he whispered, "you are precious to me."

'_That was hot, you have to admit that was hot.'_

The flustered kunoichi did not respond to her inner, to busy trying to learn how to breathe again. Kakashi smiled at her, eye crinkling and entered the cave signalling for her to follow.

Sakura had a feeling that Kakashi would be the death of her.


	10. I'll protect you, always

Holidays. I'm moving to Uni next year so I may not be able to get on the internet except for assignments. I don't know how I will survive. Oh and you know what, Sakura actually pisses me off, her character and everything. I mean she's better than she once was but she's still too mean to Naruto. I love Naruto; she needs to be nicer to him.

'**This time baby, I will be, bulletproof.'**

I'll protect you, always

It had taken few moments before the kunoichi followed her sensei in. Locating her team's chakra, she found them in a large, circular room, eerily familiar to what Shino described. This had to be where the organization had sat.

"What took you so long Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Glancing quickly at Kakashi then looking back to Naruto, Sakura shrugged.

"Just making sure everything was empty like you said."

"I'm not an incompetent idiot you know."

"Ooh, big words Naruto," Kiba taunted. Everyone paused, trying to keep the grins off of their faces. Naruto, who had become slightly more aware in his later years, noticed everyone's reaction.

"Shut up dog breath! I know big words!"

"Ahh," Kiba nodded, a glint in his eye. "But do you know what they mean?"

Hinata, quick to consol her beloved jumped in saying, "we know you are not dumb Naruto-kun and definitely not incompetent. Y-you are very strong." Only one stutter.

Amazing.

At this the fox-boy let go of his irritation, not wanting to distress Hinata any further. He felt his heart want to burst with love because she defended him, because she had always been there, from the very beginning. Snickers came from Kiba.

"She didn't say anything about you not being an idiot though." Kakashi, Shino and Sakura left the two boys to squabble with Hinata refereeing, in order to talk.

"They have left. Most likely after having sensed Shino's spies," Kakashi assumed. Shino and Sakura nodded in agreement. There was no way that they hadn't been able to sense that someone had fallen into the trap, especially a nasty one like that. Together they made a plan to stop the organization before they kidnapped the daiymo's daughter, later this night. Sakura was focused but she felt a familiar urge.

An urge she had not fixed since the Anbu had collected her from her house.

Her scars tingled, begging to be opened again, to bleed.

Oh, she wanted to bleed.

Her thoughts, once focused, had now turned sour and she was almost grateful for the attack. Almost.

With ninja reflexes, everyone defended themselves as three enemies ambushed them. How the three thought they could beat six Konoha jounin was a mystery. Sakura wasn't arrogant but three against six, highly skilled ninja's was in Konoha's favour. But ambushes considerably lowered their chances of winning.

Shuriken released from time traps and were barely avoided by Hinata. The stones moved underneath Shino, Kiba and Akamaru's feet. Water tried to drown the rest of them. The medic-nin fought back, creating a genjutsu of her drowning (it's odd seeing yourself die) so that she could sneak up upon her opponent; the water user. It was the rogue assassin who attacked them a day ago, the one Shino had tortured. She watched as he smiled at her death, obviously not the genjutsu expert of the team and the other wasn't either. It filled her with a tiny sense of relief to know that such an amazing genjutsu-user, one who had crippled them all, was no longer their enemy because they had killed him.

Quickly pulling out her kunai, she felt a burst of satisfaction from the blood pouring down the rogue's throat. The kunoichi did not have to channel _his _thoughts and feelings to feel happy at this shinobi's death. She was perfectly fine knowing that he wouldn't ever be able to hurt anyone she loved again. A medic-nin she may be, but some archaic, primitive part of her would always, always, rejoice in the feel of her enemies' blood.

She looked over at the others. Those who had been attacked by the water-user were free, now that he was dead. Hinata had killed the other rogue and had turned to face the blue-haired women but she got no further. She stood beside Kiba and Akamaru; they were trapped in stone, only their faces visible.

Everyone paused.

"So," the blue-haired woman declared, "you are the shinobi from Konoha." She looked at each of them, condescension on her face. "Pity. I thought there would be more of you. It's so much more interesting when I get to kill a large group of ninja's."

No one made a sound, to wary of what she would do to Kiba and Akamaru.

"What? You're speechless?" She mocked, lifting her hand. "Well, that's okay, I'll just make sure you remember who killed you!" On her hand, tattooed, was the number 11.

"I suspect you are the eleventh of your group then," Kakashi declared impassively. "Meaning you are the weakest of them all."

The woman bristled at that before regaining her calm. Making a show of tightening the stone around Kiba, Akamaru and Hinata, she laughed.

"Well, the weakest of my group is the one who is going to kill you," then she attacked them all. Stone rolled everywhere and all Sakura could see was dust. Each time her punches broke the blocks of stone attacking her, the dust grew heavier and heavier. Sakura felt herself being pushed further and further away from everyone else. Loud noises still echoed within the cave but she couldn't sense the others anymore; as if they had cloaked their chakra or . . .

'_Don't think that. They are strong. They will be alright. He will be alright.'_

Stuck in a defensive stance, the stones had stopped attacking her. She could not see for all the dust in the air but she had long ago started to rely on her other senses. That was when the medic-nin realized she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. It was as if her own body had turned against her, turned to stone. Chakra below the surface, she tried to break free but her blood, her chakra had turned rock hard.

Sakura was dying and she couldn't save herself.

The blue-haired woman, number eleven, appeared from the dust. Eleven, as she had named her, was grinning a triumphant grin. The sound of fighting and breaking stone still littered the cave.

No one was here to help her and she was too weak, too pathetic to fight her way free. The pink-haired nin felt tears rise to her eyes but obstinately kept them down. She had told herself she would never burden anyone every again. Reaching, reaching, she almost had her chakra; almost had the strength to break free. However, eleven, whose teeth were bared, leaned closer and the jutsu grew in power. She wasn't going to make it, her heart was nearly at a stop.

At least, the kunoichi thought with eyes closed, I'll be free of _him._

As she waited for death to take her, Sakura was startled when her body unfroze and air filled her lungs. Eyes snapping open, the sight of a kunai protruding eleven's throat surprised her. With a merciless yank, the kunai was pulled free and Sakura saw her savior. There stood her teammate, covered in blood.

His eyes the red of Kyuubi.

* * *

Naruto lost sight of everyone as stone smashed down on him. He had to use all of his speed just to avoid being crushed. Hinata was somewhere out there, fighting in the dust. He hoped she was all right and placed his faith in her strength and determination.

The fox boy needed to find eleven. If he defeated her, the stones would stop attacking him. With all his strength, Naruto broke through the layers of stone that had tried to encircle him, (it was as if they had a mind of their own.) This woman thought she could beat him, that she could beat six Konoha shinobi. Naruto was determined to break her delusion.

Another stone propelled itself at him, its shape similar to a hand; a hand reaching out to kill him. Moving quickly, a wind jutsu momentarily cleared the surroundings of dust.

The blonde felt his heart stop.

He had found eleven, but she was not alone.

Sakura, his self-proclaimed sister, stood frozen in front of the blue-haired woman, eyes closed. He could see that her chakra was lacing her body, trying to do something, anything that would save her.

She won't make it, he thought frantically. No, that couldn't happen.

Sakura was one of his precious people.

His to love . . . to protect . . . to kill for.

'_Ours. How dare that filthy ningen, that filthy human, raise a hand against our bitch. Hill her. Kill her. Tear her heart still beating from her chest.' _Kyuubi roared, his anger washing over Naruto. Naruto did not bother to fight him, for he and Kyuubi were in agreement.

Although he did not refer to Sakura as his bitch, even if it sent a thrill through his body, but that was all Kyuubi's influence on him. Mostly.

Canines lengthened, fingers turned to claws and eyes went blood red. Kyuubi's thoughts mingled with his as they both ran full out to eleven. She was going in for the kill when he reached her, kunai already digging into the back of her neck. Satisfaction and hunger flared as eleven's blood was spilt.

_Dead, dead, dead,' _Kyuubi growled gleefully in the background, his 'eyes' glinting violence and amusement.

Naruto/Kyuubi looked over to their bitch/sister. Her eyes were staring at him, shocked, mouth open in dismay. They would make sure she was not hurt.

At Kyuubi's urging, his kit went over to Sakura. He caught her before she fell. Her tiny body trembled and they pulled her into their lap. Some of the blood from eleven had landed upon their sister's face.

They licked the blood off, they nuzzled their face in her hair all the while telling Sakura, "ours to protect, ours. Only we can hurt you, but we won't, you heal us, you fight with us. We will tear apart anyone that will harm what is ours. We will roll in their blood and savour their death. All ours. You are all ours."

Naruto knew that he and Kyuubi were too closely entwined but he did not care. Kyuubi was not trying to escape and Sakura seemed content to stay in his arms. After all, he and Kyuubi were becoming closer, more a part of each other, everyday.

Then he caught another scent. This one was sweeter, smelling of vanilla and apples. It was her, his lavender-eyed princess. Kyuubi purred in satisfaction as they drew Sakura in closer and looked up.

There she was, blood on her cheeks and eyes a little wide. The others were with her, but he did not care. They did not care.

"Hinata," they purred, eager to hold her too, "come and let us see how bad you are hurt. Then we will you as we hold this one in our arms." Her eyes widened and her body shook but she moved forward.

The others tried to stop her but Naruto/Kyuubi growled at them. She stood next to him and he grinned, canines sharp and visible.

"Sit." She sat and they pulled her close, breath fanning across her face, before on strong lick swept across the blood on her cheeks, sucking on the wound, healing it with his chakra.

"Ours," they murmured. "Ours to protect. Ours to fuck." Hinata gasped and Kiba choked on air.

"Mate." He nuzzled and licked her, checking for injuries but keeping a hand on his Sakura. Voices in the background confirmed that the threat had been eliminated and that a scroll left on eleven's body contained all the information they needed to destroy this organization.

Naruto/Kyuubi didn't care; the one who had hurt his precious people was dead.

They curled up into a ball, four fully-solid tails popping out and dragging Sakura and Hinata into him. Naruto and Kyuubi had slowly been transfusing through the years, so he was not alarmed like everyone else.

This wasn't the first time solid tails had appeared. They both liked it. After all, apart from being an extra sensory limb, the tails was strong and the fur wonderfully soft. They inhaled, reveling in Sakura and Hinata's scent. They were surrounded by their precious people and strong allies, 'friends' Naruto added, who would make sure they were not vulnerable while they slept.

They smiled as Hinata buried her face into their chest, closing her eyes. Weary and warm Hinata fell asleep, and they soon followed.

Sakura lay in their arms, flying the heights of the unconscious mind.


	11. Don't do that again

'**Straight through my heart. You got me, I can't stop the bleeding.'**

Don't do that again

It was like a god damn couples fest; with everyone giving each other the goo goo eyes and getting together. Sometimes people forgot how good his sense of smell was, forgot that he could smell lust a mile away. Well, lust was definitely around every member of this cell, except for that damn stoic, bug boy of a teammate.

Oh no, that would make like too easy, wouldn't it now?

The dog nin could smell the embarrassed, tender, slightly obsessive (that must be Hinata) lust Naruto and Hinata had for each other and the concerned, hot, slightly dark and possessive (Kiba had no idea whether Sakura was the possessive one or Kakashi was) lust Kakashi and Sakura were feeling for each other.

But try to get anything apart from the smell of pine and chakra from Shino and it was impossible.

Before Kiba had met Shino he didn't even know it was possible for chakra to give off a scent, yet Shino's did and it drew him in.

As an Inuzuka the urge to mark and posses a mate was growing stronger the older he got, so much that he connected with Naruto when he went into one of his moods. They had talked about it, and looking back it had been one of the most decent conversations they had ever had together, even though it had involved lots of swearing, threats and resulted in him being thrown off the Yondaime's head (Naruto liked to hide up there and you went at your own peril).

And they say that only cat land on their feet. Whoever 'they' is, well, they obviously didn't know and Inuzuka.

But enough was enough and this shinobi was going insane. He liked woman, he'd even lost his virginity to a woman at the tender age of fifteen, but he just couldn't keep his mind off one man.

"There they are." Shino's voice was quiet as usual but his words exuded power and control, _he _exuded power and control. Too much control, it was disgruntling

Kiba had jumped, startled, but turned his attentention to the twelve shinobi attempting to break into the Daiymo's palace. Ten were high ranked shinobi's and the two followers were barely chunnin. Kiba smirked, sparing a glance for Naruto who stood by his side, obstinately refusing to look at Sakura and Hinata. They weren't looking at him either but all three were blushing.

Naruto should be counting his blessings that he wasn't sporting a swollen face after what he did. It was only because Naruto hadn't been in control and to save poor Hinata's feelings, that he hadn't pounced on the fox-boy. He may like Naruto but that didn't mean he wasn't protective of his teammate, the girl he had thought of as his sister for seven years and who he would die for.

The dog nin saw Kakashi shoot a glance at his former student before giving the go ahead. He and Akamaru moved swiftly, looking forward to destroying this organization. Once it was done, maybe then and only then, he would finally tell Shino how he felt.

Not bloody likely.

* * *

Of course Sakura had been panicked when she woke up in Naruto's arms and it was only reflex that made her fist automatically sock him in the arm. Their relationship was fine, comfortable even, but the last thing she remembered was Naruto going Kyuubi. The kunoichi thought then, that it was obviously understandable that she was wary of who was holding her.

Bits and pieces came back and Hinata, Naruto and herself had spend the last day and a half embarrassed around each other. The night of the planned attack, they had defeated the organization in one swift strike, a feat that was easier than suspected given this group of criminals. I suppose after you face Akatsuki, everything pales in comparison.

Kiba had been especially violent the night before, taking out three main opponents before the pink-haired nin had even started fighting. She had wondered what the hell his problems were but decided she had too many problems of her to even bother asking. Shino or Hinata would deal with it anyway.

At least they got to relax now since the Daiymo had let them rest at his palace for the night in thanks for their protection. Everyone enjoyed the food and the hot springs but it was only a couple of hours till they had to go and Sakura was doing something.

Something that was so, so stupid to do on a mission.

Bathrooms seem to be the place; probably because of the white tiles (which frames blood splatters so nicely), the water that washes the evidence down the drain and oh, the razors that just seem to scream 'pick me up!' when she was trying to shower. Sakura absently thought that maybe she should forgo shaving her legs until she got her impulses under control.

It was dangerous to do it here because Kiba, Naruto or Kakashi could pick up the smell of blood and barge in, something she most definitely did not want happening.

But Sakura felt tension in her neck loosen as metal kissed her skin, parting it so a red sea could burst forth and ooze down the side of her thighs. It was always mesmerizing and it made her push the razor deeper, harder, longer, following scars marked years ago on the night that changed the medic-nin.

Just when Sakura finished, decided that the inside of her head wasn't so ugly anymore, she felt thoughts or feelings push down at her. They were panicked and angry and Sakura only had seconds to stand up under the running water and cover her naked body with a towel before Kakashi came barging in.

He slammed the door shut, muscles tensed and waiting to move, but he just stood there, eyes dark and mouth set beneath his mask. The blood started to seep through the towel (white? Why did it have to be white?) but Sakura did not move.

Heart beating fast and breath held, the kunoichi moved back as Kakashi came towards her. He opened the glass shower door and her sensei's mere presence made her push her body as flat against the wall as she could. The water hit her thighs and the blood ran to a light pink.

The grey-haired nin stepped inside the shower, and not taking his gaze off of her once, fell to his knees. His fingers touched naked flesh and frowned at the diluted blood that he came away with. Then he moved, hands slick with her life's liquid moving up and under the towel until he felt the edge of the lowest cut.

"No," Sakura whispered, voice harsh and frightened.

"Please, please. Just go away."

The copy-nin wouldn't. She knew that look on his face, the stubborn set of his jaw. Nothing she said would make him go away until he saw; until he saw what she had done.

Kakashi lifted up the towel while his ex-student and ex-teammate turned her head away, telling herself that her eyesight was blurry because of the shower. The towel rose up high enough to expose her secret, but leaving her private part covered.

She didn't expect the warm tongue to press into her self-inflicted wounds, not knowing (at least that's what she thought) that he traced the old scars that _he _had put there. He licked her wounds clean, sucking as his fingers dug into her legs. Holding, grasping, keeping her from leaving.

Sakura couldn't her the breathy sobs and gasps that left her but she didn't look at the unmasked man and she certainly did not want to let go of her towel, even if it meant she could tangle her fingers in that shock of gravity-defying hair.

When he was finished she stood there with her eyes closed until he turned off the tap. He didn't look at her at all, merely took her by the hand so she could sit on the edge of the bath tub. Kakashi crouched down in front of her.

"Heal yourself."

Sakura shook her head, she did not want to, she wanted, no needed to feel the skin pull and the muscles ache as long as she could until it was almost healed. Then she would use her chakra to make sure that no scar stayed, no scar but the ones she already had.

Kakashi sighed and grabbed the medic kit, finding the special ointment that Sakura had to lather her wounds. The ointment not only prevented infection but masked the scent of blood, making it undetectable to even Kiba's nose.

Kakashi did not speak while he worked. Carefully, he lifted the towel (soaking wet and clinging to her body), making sure to bare only her thighs. The wounds were still bleeding, so after the ointment was rubbed in he grabbed the bandages and wrapped her cuts tightly.

The pink-haired nin's body tingled, her body reacting in a way that embarrassed her. A pleasant warmth built in her groin, steadily increasing in intensity and sending shock waves with each brush of Kakashi's hand against her body.

The copy-nin finished and let her towel fall back down. He stood up, chest pressed against her. Sakura tried not to breath but her nipples ached, her breasts were screaming for him to touch her.

His mask was back on, his single dark eye staring at her. Sakura couldn't look at him, couldn't meet his gaze. A finger chucked her chin and Kakashi placed a gentle cloth-covered kiss to her forehead.

He tucked her hair behind her ears and said softly "don't do that again," before leaving.

She couldn't feel him anymore, his emotions and thoughts were blocked from her. Belatedly, Sakura realised that they had been since he'd arrived in a whirlwind of panic and anger. Too caught up in her own panic, she hadn't realised what he'd done.

'_He shut you out.'_

As the medic nin met grabbed her travelling pack she was desperately hoping that this barrier between them was working both ways right now.

'_Well how do you know if this feeling each other's thoughts and emotions thing works for him anyway?'_ Her inner asked.

'Well how else did he know what I was doing in the bathroom?'

'_He does summon dogs, you know. Like summon, like master they say. We know he has a good nose.'_

'Kiba should have noticed first.'

'_He has a good ass as well. _

Sakura decided to ignore that. Even if he did have a nice, tight and firm – FOCUS! The kunoichi just hoped that he couldn't sense what she was feeling like she was for him.

'_Don't you know what your little jutsu did?' _her inner added slyly.

'What!' Sakura shouted at her inner. 'Do you know what happened? Do you remember something?'

'_Our team is waiting for us; go.'_

'But –'

'_Go!'_

Sakura stopped talking to inner (her inner was a part of herself and damn if she could be irritating!) and rushed downstairs.

"What took you so long Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted in his usual demeanour.

It seemed as if he had decided to get over his embarrassment, which was fortunate for Sakura because she could return back to normal as well. Naruto wouldn't let her keep acting awkward around him anyway. So the kunoichi gave her brother a soft smack (hard in anyone's terms other than hers and Tsunade's) to the back of his head and reprimanded gently that he didn't need to be so loud when she was standing mere metre's away.

He winced, rubbing his head and apologising. Sakura smiled and ruffled the fox-boys hair.

"Alright team," said Kakashi, looking the same as usual. "We have accomplished our mission, let's head out."

"Thank goodness! I am really, really, really, REALLY craving some ramen!"

Of course the proceeding hours until they made camp that night were filled with Sakura's detailed rant of all Naruto's unhealthy eating habits. She couldn't help it, Ramen was not a meal meant to be eaten for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

But try explaining that to Naruto.


	12. Screaming inside my head

'**She's running out again. She's running out, she'll run, run, run, run!'**

I think this must be my favourite chapter! The writing is way better (in my opinion), I'm using the lyrics from Radiohead's 'Creep' song and evil, crazy, psychotic dude finally makes his debut appearance to Sakura! Mwahaha.

Screaming inside my head

The sight of blood could signify pain, death, anguish, hurt. The smell of it could cloud your senses on a battlefield, it could come from your own body or from the many foes you had cut down. You tasted blood when you summoned, when you sealed, when you bit your tongue so hard to keep from crying out because your best friend, the boy who gave his life for you and Rin, died.

But the sight of blood could also make jump into the fray of a fight, make you dodge and punch and scream and cry until you had used every muscle in your body to save a life, to make it back home at the end of the day with a happy, but weary Sakura, a not-so-fake smiling Sai and a triumphant, alive Naruto. The smell of it could alert you to your enemy's weakness and make tracking down a bleeding Sasuke so much easier.

But the taste of blood, that could be an aphrodisiac.

Sakura's blood had make Kakashi's head spin; his loins tighten and left with wanting more.

Sakura was an addiction, everything drawing him in; her blood was an aphrodisiac, her scent so sweet, the way her eye twitched right before she hit Naruto made him laugh and how she constantly encouraged him to socialise.

Kakashi admired how she had grown into the person that loved the boy she had hated as a child, that her and Naruto were the best of friends and that she no longer needed Sasuke to acknowledge her.

He watched the way she hid her pain and saw the cuts she inflicted on herself and those cross placed scars on each thigh.

He loved the way she had gasped and tried not to moan at the feel of his tongue gliding a wet path against the puckered flesh and cut skin.

Fear, hate, lust, pain, love. He wanted all of her.

The grey-haired nin woke along with everyone else. Sakura was on her feet, glowing luminescent in the moonlight.

"Sakura-san?" Hinata asked. She made no reply.

There was no wind and no animals moved in the forest. Sakura turned and her eyes were a horrible yellow. Her throat was working furiously, her mouth slowly opening. Words, seemingly forced, strained themselves to the night's sky.

"She is mine. Finally. I have my blossom once again." Sakura screamed and fell to her knees, fingers trying to claw their way into her scalp.

"No!" She screamed. "I won't let you do this to me!"

Kakashi moved quickly, his hands pushing chakra into the scars, telling her to "Fight it, Sakura!" That evil chakra was back, trying to take a hold of her.

Sakura started to laugh, an evil cackle that did not sound right coming from her.

"What's happening?" Naruto asked, panicked and full of worry, his sapphire eyes focused on his friend.

"We meet at last Hatake Kakashi. Cherry blossom in mine, she was always – GET OUT!" The voice changed, both still Sakura's but as different as night and day. The true Sakura was trying to fight back, trying to get rid of the enemy inside her and take back control of her own body.

Naruto moved forward but Sakura pulled back, she pulled away and Kakashi's hands disappeared from her thighs.

"Stay away!" She doubled over and Kakashi went to follow but she collapsed to the ground. The copy-nin placed his hands over the scars, trying to force that evil chakra out with his own. He could feel Sakura's suppressed underneath but she had not been affected entirely above her waist.

Naruto placed himself on the other side and Hinata joined.

"What are you doing Kakashi-san?" The heiress asked.

"She has two scars on either thigh; the source of the chakra is coming from there."

Naruto growled and stared accusingly at Kakashi. "How do you know that? Has this happened before?"

"Now is not the time," Kakashi replied sharply, he did not want to explain to Naruto what he had seen and heard and how he had not said anything to the fox-boy. It would only make Naruto angry and hurt that Sakura had not confided in him.

Sakura was still mumbling to herself, hands gripping tightly to her head. Kiba and Akamaru stayed back, taking watch in case someone attacked.

"I will have my bugs follow the chakra trail back to its owner," Shino intoned, to which Kakashi was surprised. He hadn't even thought of that, he was too concerned with trying to make those yellow eyes disappear from Sakura's face and for her beautiful emerald one's to come back.

Sakura gave another scream, long and loud and it nearly tore Kakashi's heart, but he stayed strong.

"Push your chakra into her, Shino, you keep watch with Akamaru, Kiba you help." Kiba moved forwardly quickly, eager to help.

Another scream and dimly Kakashi felt a pain in his head. Someone was trying to talk to him in his head, someone who was hurting . . . was it Sakura?

Hinata, Naruto and Kiba added their chakra to Kakashi's and they forced the brunt of the chakra back into the area of Sakura's scars. Hinata winced and Kakashi was grateful that he had his mask; the yellow chakra had that personal feel that he only medics could do, but instead of a gentle and healing chakra, this was painful and filled with malicious intent. The chakra stung and Kiba's eyes watered.

"You killed my parents!" Sakura screamed and the shock made everyone lose focus for a moment. That moment was all this evil person needed and the yellow chakra enveloped Sakura, shoving everyone to the air.

In a flash Sakura was gone, no traces of her body left and Kakashi was sprawled in the branches of a nearby tree.

Kiba's frantic words and Naruto's cussing let Kakashi know that neither could trace her. But something was tingling in his head and Shino said his bugs were still following the trail.

Still . . . the distant pain in his head let Kakashi know that Sakura was hurting and that something was blocking him from feeling it entirely.

Fuck.

* * *

He watched her, hair splayed across her face, eyes closed and those beautiful lips puckered, as if waiting for him to kiss them. He had finally got her, finally taken her away from that bastard, that ninja who thought he could this affections of his blossom.

He had killed for her! And would continue killing until she had no one left except for him, until he would be the only person that she could turn to.

Sometimes he wanted to force her, to bend her entirely to his will but he didn't. He pressured and encouraged but her fighting spirit, the fire that would blaze in her eyes, it made his insides throb. He wanted to tame her; he wanted her to willingly submit beneath him.

But she had fought, she was always fighting him. He was getting angry, his patience was running out. He wasn't going to wait any longer.

The ex-suna shinobi tightened the chains around his precious and left her to wake. She would be in for a surpise when she realised where she was. He had to keep his cherry blossom safe from the others that would take her away from him.

After all, he was going to take what was his.

* * *

Sakura blinked, her eyesight was bleary. Why was she hurting? Why did the scars on her thighs tingle like they'd be zapped with electricity? Her chakra paths felt like molten fire had run through them.

She rolled over and snuggled into the soft pillow, letting her sore body sink into the bed. The bed she had travelled with she was fourteen years old felt comfortable; as if there was no lumpy spot on the bottom right that she always ignored.

The pink-haired nin went to move her arms out so that she could stretch. But something pulled around her wrists and her arms couldn't stretch out completely. A noise; an eerily familiar noise.

Sakura was wide awake in seconds.

She jumped up in the bed that most definitely wasn't hers and looked around franticly for her teammates. They weren't there.

Her wrists were shackled and short chains connected her to the headboard. The room was large and spacious, a table with chairs was to her left and a door to her right; beside it a bookcase holding many books.

The rug on the floor was the exact same one in her apartment, the bedsheets and pillows her own and the books in the bookcase held titles that she read over the years.

Something was in her head, something trying to reach her but it was as if a huge wall had placed itself in front of her; a wall that she hadn't made.

The kunoichi tried to remember what had happened, how she had got here but everything was blank in her mind. The last thing she could remember was going to sleep after they had set camp, then pain. Why had she been in pain?

Kakashi. It came as a distant thought but Kakashi had been there, been there while she was in pain. The pain, why had she been in pain?

Sakura summoned her chakra to break the chains but nothing happened, no chakra responded her call. She frantically checked her reserves and found them periliously low. Even so, her chakra should still be steadily increasing, but it wasn't. It was almost as if something was inside of her, holding her chakra back.

Her body ached.

'_Where are you?' _Whispered in her head, the soft voice recognizable but she couldn't place it to a face.

'I don't know,' she said back.

'_I'll find you.'_

The voice went away and the throbbing in her head diminished but did not leave. Sakura didn't understand why she felt so out of place, like everything was surreal. She couldn't remember.

Something wet and warm trickled down the side of her face and she raised her cuffed hands to touch it. She came away with blood. Sakura stared at her fingertips, straining her thoughts, brow furrowed. Why was she bleeding? Where was she? Why did it look like her place but not?

Sakura pulled her legs up and cuddled up to the headboard of the bed. It even smelled different, like a different scent had come along and tainted this room.

A small table was beside her bed; it held her brush, jewellery, the necklace Tsunade gave her for her seventeenth birthday and a photograph. It was in a beautiful silver frame and it had been taken from her house as well.

But it wasn't the same as when she had last seen it.

A fourteen-year-old Sakura was smiling, her eyes shining and her hand holding out a huge stick of candy floss to a burnt out figure.

Someone had burnt out the faces of her Mother and Father and left the photograph framed. The kunoichi felt a shiver run through her body, making her fingers tremble as she reached out. Someone had superimposed themselves behind Sakura, as if they were holding her.

The door opened and the chakra inside her body flared but was held down. Held down by a chakra she knew so well and feared to remember. She remembered now how she got here, she knew where she was.

Sakura was with the man who had tormented her dreams for four years, the man who killed her parents and had left her mind and body scarred.

"I see you are awake, my love."

Sakura's heart nearly stopped and she stared at the man she hadn't seen face to face since that awful night four years ago.

"Itome," she whispered, fear driving her to push herself further into the headboard, as if she could make it out to the other side.

His yellow eyes glinted darkly, liking how sweet his name sounded coming off her tongue.

"Next time you say my name, it will be a scream as I take you."

He started walking towards here but Sakura was frozen stiff.

She was already screaming inside her head.


	13. Hate myself just a little bit more

'**It so good until it goes bad.**

Hate myself just a little bit more

_The door had been torn off at the hinges. Sakura faltered, wondering what had happened and then she started running._

_It was so bloody inside, pieces of flesh and thicker things strewn around the floor. _

'_Mummy!' she cried, seeing her mother, her beautiful mother, face down on the floor, a deep gash running down the length of her back making her spine glisten in the dim light._

_Her body was still warm but no matter how hard Sakura tried to push her chakra into her, to heal her, to save her, she didn't open her eyes and say everything was okay. She stumbled, trying to stand back up and make her way to her father, hoping that maybe, he was alive._

"_Please be alive, please, please," she whispered to herself, praying to kami; pleading, bargaining, negotiating._

_The eyes were empty, sightless and unseeing._

_

* * *

_

_Later, with her body chained down, he reached over, fingers outstretched._

_He tore her father's eyes out._

_And Sakura screamed._

* * *

Sakura was shaking, her body frozen, torn between the flight-and-fight response. Here he was, the man who had hurt her more than anyone else had, more than the destruction of Konoha years ago, more than Sasuke ever had.

Itome.

"Did you miss me, my sweet? I so missed you." His finger, cold but calloused from years of holding kunai, trailed across her cheek. The calluses reminded her of Kakashi's hands, of the warmth and sense of safety he gave her.

She would not give in; she would not be reduced to a weak and pathetic mess.

Itome's finger brush over her lips, softly, gently, belying his true nature. Sakura looked up at him and her eyes shone with hate. "Such fire." He pushed, the finger slipping inside her mouth, his chest heaving up and down with excitement. His other hand came to rest under chin, holding her in place.

Sakura bit down.

Mere seconds and her teeth were starting to grind against bone, but a powerful slap to the face rendered Sakura light-headed for a moment and the finger was removed from her mouth. Her eyes focused again and the medic-nin trembled with fear at the look on Itome's face.

He held his bleeding finger and a dark yellow chakra had surrounded it, his own healing abilities removing all traces of her attack. His eyes were dark and filled with malice; just like that night. Sakura pulled against the chains around her wrists, scrambling away from her tormenter, her eyes wide as they watched each other.

"You're going to regret that, little blossom," Itome sneered.

Throat closed and with no air, Sakura managed to speak. "Fuck you Itome and the hell hole you crawled out from."

Another smack. "Insolent bitch, I will teach you you're place."

"My place is with my family you ass! My place is anywhere but here, with you!" Sakura screamed, kicking her legs out and catching Itome in the face with one. However, he grabbed the other leg and pulled her towards him, spreading her thighs before placing his whole body weight upon her.

The pink-haired kunoichi screamed and struggled, cursing and swearing that she would kill Itome. His strong hands around her neck shut her up and Sakura was left breathing heavily. Those hands started to lightly glide around, reaching her ticklish spots behind her ears. Sakura let out a soft gasp, caught between the pleasure of her erogenous spot being touched and anger. Underneath it all however, was a steady dose of fear.

"So afraid, so very afraid. Why don't I make you loosen up a little bit, sweet heart, now that it is just you and me?" He towered over and Sakura kept his gaze.

"Don't you dare touch me, you monster." Then she sneered back at him, covering her fear with anger and hot rage. "I would rather fuck an animal before I'd let you willingly touch me."

Itome stilled and his aura seemed to grow even more dangerous than before, darker and more violent. "Well then," he said, "If that is the case then I will just have to take away your will."

His chakra rose up in her and Sakura couldn't stop the agonized shrieks. Her body convulsed and her own chakra tried to push back, but Itome moved his hands down, grasping the skirt and her shorts underneath before one tug had them pulled down. It was only pure luck that her underwear stayed on but the kunoichi's gratefulness disappeared the moment his hands landed on her crossed-shaped scars.

Pain raged through her, like there was lightning melting inside of her. Sakura fought and fought, unwilling to succumb, trying to ignore the sweet words Itome was whispering in her ears.

"I will make the pain go away; all of it go away, if you just admit to being mine."

Broken no's escaped her lips but the torture went on.

'_Keep fighting! We won't let this mother fucker win!'_

Itome changed his tactic and the chakra inside of her changed, touching places that should never be touched and suddenly her body wasn't being thrown around in agony, but instead, in pleasure. It felt like every nerve in her body was been licked and caressed and that she was just one throbbing need. She would do anything for someone to touch her, for someone to quench this fire.

'Kakashi...mother...father.'

The world darkened.

* * *

_He stepped out of the shadows._

"_Did you like my present?" _

"_You!" Fifteen-year-old Sakura gasped, eyes rimmed red and her hands stained the same colour._

"_I left them warm just for you."_

"_W-why?"_

"_Because you're mine, ever since I saw your all those months ago and I couldn't have you needing anyone else so I took care of that problem."_

_Sakura's face contorted with the ache of her broken heart and the blood pounding in her ears. He did this; he had killed her innocent, civilian parents._

_The kunoichi rushed him and the wall exploded underneath her hands._

_Itome, the fellow medic who had helped her restore a village back to health after a poisonous infection crippled the village, had done this._

_She was going to kill him before he killed her._

_It was too late when Sakura realised that he didn't want to kill her, he wanted to fuck her._

_And she had nearly let him._

* * *

Hands against her body, rubbing, caressing. It felt so so good. Fingers tweaked her nipples and Sakura arched her back into the heads, whimpering mindlessly.

Oh god, oh god, she was on fire, she was burning up.

All for this man, this wonderful man who was spreading her thighs, whose chakra was all inside of her body. The scars on her thighs were tingling, so sensitive that when the man brushed over it she was trembling, her body shaking with mini-orgasms.

The cold air touched her naked skin but Sakura but all she could feel was heat.

Heat. Heat between her legs, a tongue dipping in between.

"Kakashi!"

And then the medic-nin was in pain again.

Blearily she opened her eyes, focusing on the black hair above her and the angry yellow eyes.

"You called his name! You should only call mine!"

Itome was naked and in between her legs and Sakura nearly cried. He had made her feel that way, he had done this to her. She had forgotten where she was, who she was, everything. Sakura went to pull on the chains but nothing stopped her.

Itome had taken them off.

Quickly summoning all her chakra, the pink-haired kunoichi shoved at the chakra inside of her, simultaneously smacking a fist into the man above her.

But he caught it and pulled her close, pressing her breasts against his naked chest.

"Nothing can stop me doll. Sweet heart. My cherry blossom."

Hate shone through her eyes. "Don't call me that."

Itome smiled a smug, evil and somewhat delicious smile. He was a beautiful man, Sakura had always thought so but before she had never noticed the possession in his eyes or the rage that contorted his face when she had talked of Naruto.

His hand dropped and his squeezed her breast, but Sakura didn't cry out this time since his chakra was no longer inside of her, forcing her to feel those horrible things.

"Mine," he growled.

'_Go along with it.'_

'What?'

'_Pretend it feels good and wait for the opportunity to strike back.'_

'No – I don't want to let him t-'

'_Just do it!' _Her inner screamed. _'We can't let him take us; we can't lie down like we nearly did all those years ago and let him take our virtue.'_

Her inner shook her and it felt as if a fog was clearing. _'We will not let him make a weak, useless puppet out of us.'_

Weak.

Always so weak.

Sakura hated being weak.

'Okay.'

Shaking, Sakura raised her hands, letting them grasp Itome's face. He licked his lips, looking deep into the eyes that Sakura had made darken with desire.

'_Think of Kakashi and we will be fine.'_

"Mine," he said again and Sakura nodded.

They kissed and a sob left her mouth when Itome touched between her legs. Itome ate at her mouth, swallowing her cries.

"That's right, don't fight, you know you want this."

"Mmm," Sakura groaned and it was Kakashi against her lips, Kakashi under hands. Sakura breathed in deeply and thought of Kakashi's smell, of the forest that was always a part of his clothes.

'Kakashi...'

* * *

'_No, no, no. Hurry old man!'_

'I am!'

Kakashi was moving frantically, a mere blur to the others. They all kept up though, blindly following their leader who somehow knew where Sakura was. When he had said that he felt her, the others had looked confused but Naruto, with a thoughtful expression on his face had nodded and said "lead the way."

Of course, Hinata had then followed and the others too.

He couldn't feel her as well now and it had been over half-an-hour since he last heard her voice in his head. But somehow, at the back of his mind, a worry was growing, stemming from the distant flashes of her emotions.

Fear. Hate. Pain. Shame.

Lust.

The silver-haired nin did not want to know what that _man _was doing to her; he just wanted her to be safe. But that was entirely truthful. No matter how much he had scolded Sasuke for doing so or know from experience, Kakashi was going to get avenge Sakura; he was going to kill that man for harming _his _precious student.

All he had to was get to Sakura before he had to avenge her death.

A whisper in his head. _'Kakashi...'_

'Don't worry precious, I'm coming.'

And he was, nothing would stop him.

"There is a tower twelve miles from here," Naruto pointed out, his eyes gone Kyuubi. Hinata glanced at him, face worried.

"Can you see inside Hinata-chan?"

Hinata turned in the direction Naruto pointed, the bulging veins signifying that she was using her byakugan. "Yes, I can see Sakura." She frowned.

"There is m-man over her. I don't know what they are doing."

"Fuck," Naruto swore and Kakashi agreed.

Fuck indeed.


	14. Lie down and die

Whoa, I mean I never really liked Sakura and she cut her hair and killed Sasori and got stronger so I was like 'yay! Finally you're being a normal person instead of wussy, sappy, pathetic girl', so I didn't mind her even though I didn't like her hitting Naruto. Then I read more of the manga [which I only read about ten chapters ahead of the manga – for self-control and such] and now I decide that I hate her.

Really, really hate her.

So it made writing this a little bit weird but this Sakura is my character and I like her.

'**What makes her come and what makes her stay, and what makes the animal run, run away, yeah. What makes him stall, what makes him stand, and what shakes the elephant now, and what makes a man.'**

Lie down and die

Lick, bite, suck, moan.

Kakashi felt so good, so warm and strong and firm. His hands had divested her of all her clothes and now she lay before him, naked and willing.

'_Not Kakashi remember?'_

'Hmm...?'

'_DON'T FORGET WHERE YOU ARE YOU IDIOT! THIS ISN'T KAKASHI ON TOP OF YOU, ITS ITOME!'_

Those words tore Sakura out of her drugged state, her eyes opening to find a black-haired, yellow-eyed man about to lower his mouth –

Oh dear god! His mouth was touching her. Licking and nipping and -

. . . why was she responding? She hated him, she hated the feel of his dirty hands tainting her, she hated the fact that she was trembling under the man who had killed her parents. She was meant to do something.

Something . . .

Something . . . Kakashi felt so good.

'_Genjutsu, he's making our mind see this as pleasure. But since we could never relate him and pleasure together, we keep thinking of Kakashi.'_

At her inner's words, Sakura wearily raised her hands from where they clenched against the bed sheets. He was manipulating her and Sakura hated to be manipulated. Forming the release sign, Sakura thought 'kai' in her head, being unable to form words with the cries that tumbled from her mouth.

Nothing happened and her hips bucked as Itome's tongue slid deep inside of her, deeper and deeper, until he was touching parts of her that no man but him had touched before. The scars on her thighs tingled and tears dripped freely from the corners of her eyes.

So weak, so useless. I can't even save myself she thought.

'_No! Fight!'_

'With what? My chakra is bound and even you can't get through!'

Her inner was quiet, solemn in the fact that she had been trying to get through the yellow taint in their body but that she was unable to do so. She hadn't even thought Sakura had noticed.

'_We have to do something.'_

'I know!' Sakura practically sobbed at her inner, her mind trying as hard as it could to distance itself from the pleasure. 'We need power. Any power.'

They had the idea at the same moment.

'_Yes,' _her inner hissed triumphantly. _'We just need to borrow his power for a while.'_

* * *

They neared the tower but stopped at the edge, unwilling to pass through the flowers.

It was odd. Not a single person moved forward, instead hesitating but looking unsure as to why. Shino silently commanded his insects to move forward and they each watched as one lone bee flew over and landed on a flower.

Shino felt a slight pinch on his shoulder and the bee dropped to the ground dead.

"What happened?" Naruto asked but Shino did not answer, thinking quietly to himself.

He always felt a pinch when his insects died, never enough to deter him but enough to let him know how powerful the jutsu was. This pinch had been harder than others, harder than when his insects had died from the blue-haired rock woman.

"Shino?" said Kiba, his hand worriedly stroking Akamaru.

He bent his head, his glasses reflecting in the sun and thought to himself that Kiba looked beautiful when he was concerned. Well, enough of that nonsense he thought to himself.

"It is a strong jutsu. It killed my insect as soon as it touched the petal."

"Well then! We just won't touch the damn flowers!" And Naruto proceeded to create a clone and use it to hoist himself in the sky.

Hinata, with her byakugan was the one who shouted, "Naruto, don't!"

The flowers shot up and Naruto's expression would have been comical if the situation weren't so dire. Acting quickly, Shino summed over five thousand of insects to create a wall between the fox-boy and the rising flowers, ordering another five thousand to gently bring Naruto back to the ground.

The pinches were everywhere but over in a moment. Shino dismissed it easily, quite used to this pain.

Naruto was gently brought back to the ground and Hinata rushed over to see if he was okay. He glanced at Kiba, noting that he had his gaze on him. Kiba knew that he always experienced temporary pain when his insects died but it was not that that worried him.

Kiba was Shino's best friend and he knew that the bug-boy felt the insects that had lived inside of die and that more than anything, hurt him. After all, they shared the same body.

Shino nodded that he was okay but Kiba did not looked relieved, instead he looked more suspicious. Pushing his glasses up, Shino fought not to fidget. After all, he may look and act calm but it was unnerving to have the man he admired look at him so closely.

Naruto was being scolded by Hinata. Well, the best version of Hinata scolding, which merely involved Hinata's worried exclaims and questions of if he 'was okay?' And Naruto sheepishly rubbing his head but looking mildly pleased to have Hinata so close to him.

The flowers had settled down and after a brief moment, they turned to confer over what to do.

They didn't get far because a sharp burst of chakra alerted them to a jutsu. Whatever it was, it was drawing away something, taking something from somewhere around them.

Kakashi fell to the ground.

* * *

Sakura felt power swell into her body, felt chakra that was not her own, break the barrier that held her own back and join with it. Itome's head jerked up, only to meet Sakura's chakra-enhanced fist. He flew into the wall.

Feeling on fire, Sakura stood, quickly forming the seals for the water stream jutsu. Itome was getting to his feet when the jet blast of water hit him in the centre of the chest, forcing him through the already cracked wall.

Her body was aching, but her chakra had already starting healing her body. She didn't have much time, so she fell off the bed, searching for her clothes. It was with shaking hands that she pulled on her shirt and skirt, feeling vulnerable and dirty and just so _naked._

'_Sakura...'_

Said girl froze because it wasn't her inner's voice.

'_We're am I?'_

'_Kakashi?' _Sakura thought back, uncertain as to why she could hear him so well.

'_I can see a hole in a wall.'_

Sakura was facing the hole as she had been going to jump out of it and follow Itome.

'_You can see where I am?'_

'_Nooo...'_ Kakashi said, his voice whispery and sort of weird, like he was on drugs. _'I'm seeing through your eyes.'_

Sakura didn't get a chance to respond because Itome came hurtling up the side of the tower, landing in front of her. She automatically fell into her fighting stance, and a green glow surrounded her hands.

"Sakura," he said, eyes glowing as his own yellow chakra poured around his hands.

"You're going to regret that."

Her own eyes glinted, hate making them shine. "I don't think so."

Her fist grazed his cheek and they fought, each trying to cut the others muscles, severe the others tendons. On and on it went until Sakura was against the wall and moved just in time to dodge an elbow to the head.

The wall exploded behind her and she took that moment to kick Itome's legs out from underneath him.

She didn't expect the punch that would break three of her ribs and sending her flying out the wall.

The air rushed around her, she couldn't breathe and Kakashi's voice was in her head.

'_I'm here with you, sweetheart. I know you can kill him.' _And Sakura could feel his hate, could feel her hate and it felt so good. He wanted her to kill Itome, he wanted to give her his strength.

Sakura landed in a garden of flowers and the ground exploded underneath the force of her impact.

* * *

Hinata was looking into both of Kakashi's eyes but there was no response. He had just suddenly fell to the ground and no matter what she did, no matter what basic medical techniques she did, she could find nothing wrong with him.

Even when there had been a loud bang from the tower, Hinata had not looked away. And she was too busy trying to find something wrong inside Kakashi with her byakugan to turn around when Naruto had started shouting something about a black haired man falling out of the tower.

There was _nothing _wrong with him.

Nothing except for the fact that she was unconscious.

The hyuuga heiress tried not to panic, because panicking wouldn't make things better and she had not freaked out on a mission since Kiba had almost died three years ago. She would be damned if she did so now, if she did so when it was Naruto's sensei that might be dying.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata looked again. There had to be something, some clue as to why he was unresponsive.

No injuries – check.

No head concussion – check.

No blood clots – check.

Chakra working fine – check.

Wait, wait.

Hinata focused on his chakra veins, noticing that his chakra was thin and barely there, almost as if he was suffering from chakra exhaustion. But that couldn't be it, he had been fine only ten minutes ago. Hinata splayed her hands across Kakashi's chest, feeling the rhythm of his heart beat. It was slow, too slow. Almost as if every beat was using energy that he didn't have.

She stared with her byakugan and saw that it was almost as if something was pulling the chakra away from his heart.

Almost as if someone was stealing his chakra.

"What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked. Hinata looked up, byakugan still on and her face worried. The others were busy, trying to find a way to get past the garden of flowers and find out what was going on in that tower. Her fingers were shaking and her bottom lip shook.

Hinata stared at the boy she loved; his eyes so bright and concerned and felt that familiar sensation of being unable to speak. But this time it was for a different reason, an entirely different matter than her own unrequited feelings of love.

"Kakashi-san is," Hinata said and Naruto stared at her, the others listening in.

"He's dying."

* * *

Kakashi felt funny, sort of like that time when he had died and he was walking towards the fire where he father was.

It was like that, but it wasn't, because he was seeing something entirely different. He was watching a familiar black haired and yellow eyed man being thrown through a wall. He was feeling his chakra rushing around in a body that was not his own. He could feel Sakura's chakra and he could smell her sweet scent.

'Sakura . . .' Kakashi thought, wondering what was happening.

He didn't expect her response and he didn't understand why he was in her body.

Because he was in her body and he was seeing through her eyes.

Kakashi didn't know what to think and it was sort of hard, like trying to catch air in your hands. He felt something nudging him in the back of his mind but for the life of him he couldn't remember what it was. So he ignored it and he gave Sakura his strength, because he wanted that man dead. He wanted him to _suffer; _he wanted Sakura to rip him apart because he could feel her anger and her hatred and her fear.

Kakashi wanted him to hurt, just like his heart hurt now, almost as if he was having trouble breathing.

* * *

Hinata watched as the denial bled into Naruto's eyes and she didn't know what to say to him.

"No, you have to do something."

But Hinata had only been taught basic medic jutsu's and this was well beyond her. Hell, she didn't even know why his chakra was being taken.

Naruto must have seen it in her eyes because he dropped to his knees, intent on her and ignoring the Shino and Kiba who remained frozen in the background.

"Come on Hinata, think, think. I know you can do something. You can save him." Lavender eyes locked with blue and the heiress saw his belief, his absolute certainty that she could do it, that she could fix his sensei.

Hinata felt her heart swell and she nodded. She wouldn't give up, not here, not now.

"Right," she nodded. "I won't let Kakashi-san die."

She turned back the immobile man with Naruto by her side and she knew what she had to do. Until she figured out what was wrong, she just had to keep Kakashi going.

Hinata carefully sent her own chakra into Kakashi's body, following his own natural chakra coils and gently easing her chakra into his. She softly told the others what was wrong with Kakashi, not that she knew why and what she planned to do.

Hinata was strong and she refused to let this man die.

After all, she had given her word and Hinata didn't go back on her word.

That was her nindo.

She didn't stop trying even when Sakura landed in the middle of garden of flowers.

She didn't stop trying even when Kiba was thrown into a tree and Naruto started to go kyuubbi.

She didn't stop trying even as the knife tore through her chest.

* * *

Finally!

Yay! Sakura breaks free! And Kakashi's dying [not so yay].

So the story is going the way I planned, except for the Hinata bit, yep, just had an entire brain wave for the next chapter because I wanted more from Hinata and BAM, this evil, evil idea forces its way into my head.

Uni is going sooo good! I love, love, love it, even though I may be panicking about never getting a job [but I'm very good with stress – I just go on fanfiction and don't think about it]. I have a blog! I'll probably never update it!

But go check it out cause that's what people are supposed to do. And it feels really, really weird blogging about my life but for some reason people like reading about other people's lives.

I don't understand it :S

And I'll probably get no followers but that's a-okay!

Got to go to bed! It's 2.25 in the morning.

Until next chapter!

Love me 3


	15. This is my nindo

I have been writing ALL DAY!

This is amazing – I wrote for two hours on my second novel [way better writing than this fanfiction – sorry] and that was scary because usually I get angry after twenty minutes and stomp around for days until I can write again but I'VE JUST BEEN WRITING AND WRITING AND I PUT OUT THE LAST CHAPTER AT 2 AM TODAY AND I WROTE THIS WHOLE THING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS [Facebook = sidetracked]

AND HERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER.

P.S MY PAGE BREAKS HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING FOR THIS ENTIRE STORY - SO I WENT BACK AND FIXED IT ALL UP [it took forever]

'**We'll make sure to build your home brick by boring brick or the wolf's gonna blow it down.'**

This is my nindo

Sakura slowly stood but flowers started to wrap around her, the stems digging into her and the tiny little vines causing blood to flow from her body.

'_Sakura, do this,' _her inner said and suddenly her mind was full of jutsu's, thousands and thousands of them and she just suddenly knew that she could do all of them. Mud, earth, lightning, water, fire – these were all Kakashi's.

'Kakashi!' Sakura called back as she blew fire all around her, succeeding in momentarily scaring away the flowers but unable to burn off the one's around her body.

She fought and used every technique, adding her own chakra abilities to his jutsus. But Kakashi didn't reply and Itome stood up in the Sakura-shaped hole in the tower, watching her with his malicious gaze.

"Sakura," a welcomed voice said and she turned to find the fox boy beside her, his many clones sacrificing themselves to keep the flowers away.

"Naruto."

"Are you okay?" he looked over her body, concerned and quickly reached out with a clawed hand, the red chakra of kyuubi singing the vines and flowers around her body.

"Where is Kakashi?" But Sakura had to turn quickly as Itome chose to come down and fight.

"Bastard," growled Naruto, tensing beside her. "How dare you touch my Sakura-chan!"

He bared his teeth. "Yours? Yours! My sweet little cherry blossom is mine," and he sent a smile full of knowledge at her. "I've already tasted her.

Sakura flinched and asked Naruto again.

"Where is Kakashi?"

Naruto did not take his eyes of the medic but answered her.

"Hinata is healing him."

"What happened?"

"Oh yes, do tell us what happened to that _man," _Itome injected, his voice full of glee and ridicule as he started moving his hands.

"Something is drawing his chakra away," Naruto said before they both jumped into action.

Sakura hit the ground, giving Naruto cover as he called forth more clones.

'Kakashi!'

No one answered her.

* * *

Kakashi walked towards Sakura's house, wondering why the door was nearly off its hinges. It was dark and he automatically smelt the scent of old, drying and fresh blood. Stepping into the house, his hands lightly went over the blood stains on the wall, holding it to his nose.

This was Mrs. Haruno's blood.

He pulled up his headband, baring his sharingan so that he could see in the dim lighting. He heard soft sobbing and he headed towards it, quiet as a ninja and body ready to fight.

He stopped short at the sight of Sakura in chains, crying and with cuts all over her body. A black haired man, naked, stood over the corpse of her father, smiling at her in a way that could only be described as creepy.

As his long nimble fingers reached down Kakashi could only stare. He watched as Itome – how did he know this man's name? Pulled out Mr. Haruno's eyes and Sakura started screaming.

Why was Sakura naked?

No time to waste on any questions, no time to stop and stare – Kakashi sprung into action. His hands went straight for Itome's jugular, ready to squeeze the life out of this man.

His hands went straight through and inner Sakura appeared.

'_This is how it happened,' _the different version of Sakura said, her name across her forehead.

'_This is why we wanted to die.'_

* * *

Kakashi was fading underneath her hands, his body starting to go limp.

No! No! NO! Hinata thought, frantically pushing more of her chakra into him. Tears started to pool in her eyes but she shook them away, pushing with all her will and heart that he would not die on her.

If he died Naruto would never be the same, it would be too much. He had barely overcome his Jiraiya's death and she did not want to see another part of him die. If he died then Sakura would never be the same because Hinata had noticed, she had realised what Sakura had yet to. The girl was in-love with Kakashi and Hinata would not let him die without him knowing.

Kakashi was a good man, a good sensei, she would not let him die.

The hyuuga heiress could hear fighting in the background and a quick glance let her know that everyone was fighting the black haired man. Naruto's hands had turned into claws and she felt the familiar jutsu of rasengan.

Itome moved at the last moment, coming down against Naruto's wrist with his chakra blade and severing the tendons. Naruto grunted and jumped back, allowing Sakura and Kiba to head in while Shino covered the injured fox boy.

Itome moved to fast though and a quick kick to the chest had Kiba flying and Akamaru barging Sakura out of Itome's oncoming fist.

Kiba broke through the trees and landed on the ground with a gasp, his breath weezing as if he had hurt something deep inside his chest.

Hinata forced more chakra into Kakashi as she felt his heart slow down even further. At the rate it was going he was going to suffer brain damage in minutes. So she forced even more of her chakra into him, letting it flow through his chakra coils and curve around his heart.

Beat! Beat! She thought, and she again opened all his tenketsu's as they started to shut down again.

"Beat! I won't let you die! I'm not weak anymore, I won't let my precious people die. I don't go back on my word! That is my nindo!" Hinata whispered to herself as Kakashi's heart jumped.

The atmosphere started to feel thicker and heavier, and evil seemed to pervade the air. Naruto was going kyuubi, and his howl nearly made her stop and run over to him. But she did not moved and she only watched out of the corner of her eye as Sakura fell to the ground screaming, her body engulfed in yellow chakra.

The ground started to tear itself apart around Naruto as his body started to change and morph itself into a mini kyuubi.

Sakura was still screaming but Hinata could actually make out her words now.

"Kakashi, Kakashi!" over and over again.

"I'll kill him!" Another voice shouted over Sakura's screams and the roar of Naruto-turned-kyuubi.

Hinata looked up in time to see Itome in the air, a large sword held up and aiming for the comatose man beneath her hands.

The hyuuga heiress had a split second decide and she made a decision that would change her life. She would not go back on her word.

That was her nindo.

Hinata jumped in front of Kakashi, her chakra expelling from her body and wrapping around Kakashi's, keeping his heart beating.

The sword broke through flesh, cracked bones and barely missed her spine, coming out the other side.

But still, Hinata kept pushing chakra into Kakashi, even as blackness took over her eyes and she saw the complete and utter panic in Naruto's red eyes.

"I don't go back on my word," she spoke around the blood in her mouth.

"This is my nindo."

And she would willingly die for it.

* * *

Kakashi watched, hands shaking as Itome carved crosses into a fourteen-year-old Sakura. Low keens tore themselves from her throat as he started to push yellow chakra into her.

Her nipples tightened and Itome lowered his mouth to that spot between her legs, his tongue flicking up and down.

Kakashi wanted to scream, he wanted to kill, he wanted to cover Sakura up and take her away from here but he had tried and failed. He couldn't do anything, it was as if he was invisible. Inner Sakura stood beside him, her hand rubbing up and down his arms as he trembled with rage.

"All alone now," Itome said between licks and Sakura came with a cry, tears pouring down and mingling with her blood.

He moved up and rubbed himself against her entrance, smiling as Sakura shuddered underneath him.

"Yes, you love that, don't you my little cherry blossom, my precious. You're all mine. No mummy and daddy to keep you away from me now."

And in the moment Sakura seemed to give up and inner Sakura's hands tightened around Kakashi, her eyes bright and shiny with unshed tears. Kakashi himself felt like crying, at seeing his student, the woman he loved, being violated right before his eyes. This is what happened, this is why she had changed.

How had he never known?

Itome started to push into Sakura and Kakashi felt his heart stop beating.

There was nothing in his chest. He had no heart.

Kakashi stopped breathing.

Blood trickled from her mouth and Naruto flashed back to that moment after Pein had attacked her and for the split second when he had thought she was dead. She had confessed to him in that moment and he had never told her he loved her back.

He had spoken to her, stood in awe as she told him that she had always watched him, always loved him and he had said that even though he didn't feel the same at the moment, he wanted to get to know this wonderful person who had always hidden in the shadows.

Naruto thought he fell in-love with her a little bit right then and there, just because she loved him so much.

But know she was on her knees in front of Kakashi, a sword sticking out her back as her eyes started to glaze over. Chakra raced from her body to the man behind her, keeping him alive. Her mouth started moving and she spoke the words that he so regularly shouted.

'_Kill him! How dare he hurt what is ours!' _Kyuubi screamed, his power washing over Naruto's body.

Naruto's fifth tail came out and he watched with red eyes as Hinata's eyes started to glaze over.

A sixth tail followed.

* * *

"Mother?" Hinata said, chasing the woman in front of her. A baby Hanabi was in her arms and every time Hinata got closer she tripped or stumbled and her mother was further away.

"Mother! Mother!"

"Mummy!" Hinata yelled, as it hurt her throat because she had never yelled like this before and it felt as if the air would tear itself from her lungs and dimly she felt warmth around her chest.

Something wet dropped on her foot and Hinata looked down.

Her eyes widened as she saw the circle of blood on the front of her shirt widen and trail down her body.

Hinata looked up and saw her mother staring back at her, her own chest covered in blood and hand extended. Hanabi was gone.

"Hinata," she said, that soft voice she remembered making her eyes want to close.

"Mummy," Hinata said and her throat still ached and so did her chest. She could feel her heart beating, heavy and thick and wet inside of her.

"It's time to come home."

Hinata reached out and grabbed her mother's hand.


	16. You look so pretty when you're dead

A/N: Damnit, I don't get to suddenly let Naruto use sage chakra. You see, I first started this before I had read that bit in the manga and although I read that bit ages ago it was too late. But it's times like these that I wished I had been up-to-date with the manga. Although maybe you should all just imagine that Naruto doesn't have a clone at Mt. Moyalajdafndlfna;l-whatever it's called and that's why he's not using sage chakra, mm, that's a good idea.

Um...Don't get mad at me.

Or maybe get mad at me, you don't know how I get my kicks. ;)

I didn't mean to do this, okay, I did, just not this bad...it just, you know...happened. You'll realise what I'm talking about soon enough...0_0

**Come break me down. Marry me, bury me. **

**I am finished with you.**

**Look in my eyes. You're killing me, killing me. **

**I am finished with you!**

You look so beautiful when you're dead

Itome pulled the knife from Hinta's chest, flicking the blood of it so that it sprayed in an arc. Sakura stood frozen, watching as the Hyuuga Heiress slumped over Kakashi's body; Kakashi's unmoving body.

Sakura's heart paused mid-thump as she felt Kakashi's stop.

They weren't breathing, and for a second Sakura didn't either. But her heart kick-started, even though every gasp was painful, as if she was breathing for two.

Kakashi and Hinata were no longer alive.

But the red cloak around Naruto was and he didn't give Itome a chance to gloat. And as the sixth tail sprung up, he charged, claws extended and canines bared. They fought, moving so fast that Sakura had trouble keeping up. And that was when Naruto started using his father's technique, disappearing and reappearing like a flash of lightning.

He started cutting Itome up and Itome responding by cutting the nerves in Naruto's limbs. Yet with Kyuubi's help, the nerves reconnected themselves and Naruto was unstoppable. That he was until Sakura jumped in between them and a chakra-encased hand stopped a breath away from her heart.

Sakura could feel the warmth of Itome behind her back as he insinuated himself again her.

She smiled as startled eyes met her own.

"What are you doing Sakura-chan?" Naruto growled.

The dark yellow flames of chakra crept over her hands and her smile grew sinister, full of dark and twisted things.

Her fist went through his stomach and Naruto's surprise 'o' made her giggle.

"Killing you of course, little monster."

'_How could call him that?'_

She pulled out her arm, intestines following and thicker things. A much more muscular arm wrapped itself around her waist as Naruto fell to his knees, staring up at her with expression of betrayal.

"S-sakura-chan.."

Sakura lifted the bloody arm to Itome and let him lick a path from wrist to the tip of her middle finger. With a kiss to his lips she lifted her foot and placed it above the open wound, ignoring the pain as her skin sizzled with the heat of Kyuubi's cloak.

Naruto went flying and that was when Kiba attacked.

* * *

Shino ordered his bugs to protect Naruto's fall and sent others in to help Kiba. Sakura had been turned against them again, because the girl he knew would never call Naruto a monster.

He heard Kiba's roar and the words of Getsuyga as he and Akamaru attacked. He focused on separating Sakura from Itome and created a dome around her, sending his bugs in to neutralize her with poisons.

Unfortunately, being a medic and his friend, Sakura knew his techniques and his bugs very well, so he was not surprised that she automatically boosted her immune system. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know everything about him.

After all, the Aburame clan was very secretive and mysterious.

You couldn't even tell when they were crying.

* * *

He started pushing into her, right against her opening. She cried, tears pouring as she gave in; gave in to the man who had killed her mother and father. It hurt, oh god it hurt, and he wasn't even half-way in.

He whispered soothing words, calling her what was once her father's endearment to her. Her now dead father.

Sakura cried even harder at the thought of that and let her eyes wonder over to the door. For a moment, she thought she saw silver, like the silver of Kakashi's hair but it was wavering, disappearing.

He was more than half-way in but this wasn't right. This wasn't how it went.

Where was Tsunade?

Sakura's cries turned to hiccups as she looked around, confusion lacing her mind. As her focus turned away from the man between her legs, she felt him less and less and when she looked back he was no longer solid but an outline. A moving but barely solid outline of the man she hated.

She scurried back, feeling him pull out of her as she was suddenly able to move. But he kept going, as if he didn't see her. She saw him move forward and as she pushed herself over to the door, another barely solid outline appeared beneath Itome, an outline of herself.

Sakura shook her head, wondering what the hell was happening.

This, she wasn't meant to be here, she was with Naruto and Kiba and Shino and Itome and -

Oh god.

Hinata was dead.

Kakashi was dead.

Something touched her naked hip and the pink-haired girl screamed, whipping around to see an incorporeal figure. Its lips were against her body, whispering something.

Sakura leant down, unable to determine whether it was a boy or girl or what it even looked like. Silver flashed in the corner of her eye but she ignored it in favour of placing her ear to the lips.

"What? I can't hear you."

The lips moved, air went out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, can you say that again."

The surroundings had changed and no longer could Sakura see as an outline of Tsunade came in and saved the fifteen-year-old Sakura from Itome, choosing to enclose the shaking and naked girl in her arms rather than beat the also naked man who lay at the other side of the room, unconscious.

She didn't notice Itome slowly open his eyes and perform the necessary seals to teleport.

The only thing she was concerned about was the words against her ear.

"Sakura, you're killing Naruto."

She came back to herself in time to see Itome drive his sword through Akamaru.

* * *

Kiba felt the sword completely eviscerate Akamaru and he fell to his knees, letting lose a cry that sounded more like a dogs howl. The chakra that always kept them bonded was severed and Kiba didn't even attempt to stop the tears pouring from his face.

"I'll kill you, you fucking bastard!"

But Shino wrapped his arms around him and Sakura jumped forward to do what he so wanted to do. He clawed and scratched at Shino's arms, completely feral and unthinking, the pain tearing into his chest making him react like a wild animal.

Kiba screamed as he looked into Akamaru's dead eyes.

* * *

With every beat of her heart being a decision and not an instinct, Sakura used the last of her fading strength and chakra to break through bone and tissue to reach Itome's heart.

The medic looked into the eyes of the man who had killed her parents and her friends, who had tried to rape her and who had made her turn against the brother she loved.

"What are you doing?" Itome said, confused. "You love me."

Sakura wrapped a bare hand around his heart, able to feel everything, to feel as his own chakra moved its way up from her thighs to tighten around her own heart.

"I never loved you, you fucking bastard."

And Sakura tore his still beating heart out.

* * *

Kiba was a mess in Shino's arms but Shino did not let go, no matter how much his arms bled. He only watched as Sakura turned on the man, no, the monster that had done this and tore out his heart. He only watched as she fell to the ground, convulsing, blood pouring from her mouth, the still beating heart in her hand, Sakura's chakra encasing it so that it did not die.

He only watched as Naruto pulled himself up, wound still healing and dragged himself over to Hinata.

Hinata; his friend, his sister, his family.

Shino's glasses fell to the ground with Kiba's thrashing and for the first time, someone saw him cry.

_

* * *

_

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

_NO! NO! They are not dead!_

Naruto couldn't believe what had happened, refused to accept it. He had survived the fourth shinobi world war, he had prevented Madara from taking over the world and he had saved Sasuke, his best friend, from dying because of hate and revenge. He had found the girl of his dreams and had finally figured out his friendship with Sakura-chan. He had changed Gaara, survived the deaths of Jiraiya and he had learned to live the best he could with a nine-tailed, demon fox inside of him.

He was not going to let some piece of shit that had hurt his sister, tried to kill his love and kill his sensei, get away with this.

But Sakura finished the job for him so he stood and he did what he always did. He saved the day, he remained determined and he used his father's technique, though slightly modified by his own doing, to grab Sakura, who would not let go of the heart, Hinata and Kakashi and transport them to Konoha Hospital.

But first he threw a scroll at the screaming Kiba and crying Shino.

"Use this, it will transport you to Konoha."

Naruto made the signs, said the words and tried to ignore the fact that two of the bodies he was holding weren't breathing.

* * *

Kakashi watched as Sakura faded, feeling relief now that he knew she was going back to where she belonged, away from this. He finally knew what really happened that night, why Sakura had changed.

But they had been so concerned with rescue Sasuke, and he had been so focused on training Naruto, that none of them had noticed, had even thought to wonder why she was so hurt, so defeated. And he had thought it was because of her love for Sasuke. That girl didn't love Sasuke anymore, not the way she used to.

At least he would die knowing that there was a chance, a small, tiny chance, that maybe he would have had a chance, if he had tried.

A cough rattled his bones and he felt air enter his lungs. It felt odd, almost as if he was breathing again. Dimly he thought he could feel his heart beat but then he realised it wasn't his. His heart had stopped beating. It was Sakura's body, her soul, her willpower, her chakra and every gasp she took that was keeping him alive.

Almost like a fetus relying on its mother for survival, Sakura's heart, her every intake of air, was working for two.

* * *

Shino let go of Kiba, too busy unfolding the scrolls to watch as the dog-boy ran over to Akamaru.

"Akamaru! Akamaru! Come on boy, breathe, breathe. You're all right, you're, you're -" he pushed his own chakra into Akamaru, even though he did not know how to heal. "You're all right," he sobbed, head falling onto the furry chest.

Shino walked over to Kiba and placed the scroll over all three of them, bit his thumb, smeared the blood and said release.

They appeared in the Konoha hospital to Shizune yelling at the nurses to get a crash cart for Kakashi as she held glowing hands over Sakura's convulsing body. It was a pandemic as all the hospital staff rushed to help and helping hands that weren't so helpful, grabbed at Shino, trying to tear him away from the sobbing boy in his arms.

"Save her, save her! Hinata, Hinata, Hinata!" Naruto screamed, tears pouring down his cheeks as he shook his teammate. "Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan. Hina-chan. You have to save them all."

A medic, fingers placed against the pulse in Hinata's neck, shook her head and looked at Naruto with sadness in his eyes.

* * *

Naruto gripped his fingers into Hinata's shirt, A wail went over the air as Naruto leant over her body, crying. She was still warm, she was still real beneath his fingers.

He pressed his ear over her chest, the feel of her breasts soft as they moved to accommodate his weight. He listened for the telltale thump, or the feel of the heat of her burning blush. Nothing, there was nothing, nothing but the stench of blood and death.

Kyuubi raged in his cage and Naruto raged with him, an eighth tail, fully formed and real, not just chakra, burst from above his butt.

He held her face in his clawed hands, the chakra refusing to burn her skin, and thought, even with the blood and the fast paling colour of her cheeks, she was still so beautiful with a slight, satisfied smile on her lips.

Hinata was so beautiful, even in death.


	17. And we all fall dead

A/N: Whenever I get my 100th review [which I will] that person will be mentioned in whichever chapter I have coming out next and will be able to ask one spoiler question.

Plus, the last couple of chapters have been warring between Naru/Hina and Kaka/Saku, even though this is meant to be predominately a Kaku/Saku story, I can't help it, Naruto is my favourite character after all.

I wish I started putting everyone else's POV back in the beginning, it's fun and I write faster.

**They keep calling your name, that's why you can't sleep**

And we all fall dead

"Hinata-sama?"

Neji had heard the cries, the outbreak in gossip. News travelled fast and news was that a team returned, a team where everyone knew the members. News was that Sakura was dying, Kakashi was dead, Kiba was dead, Shino was crying and Naruto held an injured Hinata in his arms.

He had immediately dropped the groceries in his hand, TenTen beside him following suit as he ran as fast as he could to the Hospital.

The whole way there, he didn't something he never did, he begged that the fates would be kind and that she would live, that they would all live. He was so focused in his thoughts that he didn't notice when Sasuke started running beside him. But when he got there, he realised that though news spreads fast, it is like Chinese whispers, it always gets changed along the way.

Naruto wasn't holding an injured Hinata, he was holding a dead one.

* * *

Sasuke, though not happy with what he had gone through in his years away from Konoha, was glad of one thing: the fangirls were too scared of him now to pester him anymore. So it was in peace, that Sasuke selected a new novel to read. Now most would think that he would read crime novels, ninja novels, and novels on expanding his repertoire in taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu.

No.

Sasuke, though dark and twisted and seriously messed up, as well as a stoic asshole, had a weakness. He read romance novels.

Yes, sappy, lovey-dovey romance novels that make girls, or in this case guy, feel all fluffy inside. Although they had to have humour. Sasuke hated a romance novel that didn't have the heroine as someone with a sense of humour.

He had to be careful though, not to let anyone see him read these, it had been bad enough when Naruto had found out, he had no idea what he would do if anyone else did. But luckily, Naruto had sworn to secrecy and had stated that maybe Sasuke was such an unfeeling bastard after all.

He still thought it was better not to feel and it was almost an effort now not to be so full of hatred. He still acted like an asshole to Sakura, though he tried his best, and the urge to strangle Naruto rose up every so often, though he most certainly wasn't the only one to feel that.

_Lover's Whim. _Sasuke pulled out the book and read the back, liking the blurb. He went to the counter, paid the man and had walked outside the shop just as a running Neji passed him buy, TenTen following behind. Sasuke scowled ready to get angry, but then the look on Neji's face clicked with his mind and he knew something bad had happened.

"I hear that Team Seven and Eight are all in hospital and that some of them are dead."

"That's horrible! What about Naruto-sama?"

"I don't know, but I heard some ninja's saying that they can feel the chakra of Kyuubi. You know that only happens when he gets really angry or upset."

Sasuke had heard all he needed to hear from the civilians and he started running, catching up to Neji in no time.

He felt panic and absently thought that this was what he had tried to suppress, even when he was the one trying to kill his teammates. There was a reason he never accomplished it, though not for lack of trying.

He didn't know if he could handle his team dying.

He didn't know that until he saw one of them dead and then he realised something.

He'd already had one family die, he couldn't handle having another do the same.

* * *

"GIVE ME THAT HEART!" Tsunade screamed, having bypassed a frozen Uchiha and stunned Hyuuga. She automatically realised what Sakura had in mind and who for. Shizune though, confused, looked up from where she was healing Sakura's wound, mouth open to protest. Tsunade didn't listen, she just grabbed Sakura by her stiff arm and dragged her over to the mini-kyuubi. His chakra licked at her skin but she pushed through the pain, grateful that with his 'truce' with kyuubi, he no longer went to the actual size of the fox, thereby destroying his body.

"Help heal Kakashi."

"But we don't know what's wrong with him!" One of the other medics healing said man, said. "He only has minor flesh wounds but his heart isn't beating."

Tsunade stumbled and fell to the ground, Sakura's comatose body smacking the ground beside her, her head on Hinata's cold, dead legs.

". . . me . . ."

The hokage heard something.

". . . heart . . . Hinata."

She looked down to see Sakura's glazed eyes, mouth moving. She was completely out of it, but she was speaking.

Naruto was still wailing, crying and the air was heavy with kyuubi's chakra, almost suffocating. The tile beneath his body cracked and flew away from them, hitting innocent bystanders.

"Naruto! Calm down!" Tsunade shouted, coating herself in her own chakra as Naruto became more and more volatile in his grief. "I can fix this! I CAN FIX THIS!"

But Naruto wasn't listening anymore and it was only the new seal and his agreement with Kyuubi that the whole village had not been destroyed yet.

"She's mine, mine, mine." The boy wailed, tears pouring down his face and pooling on Hinata's chest, his talons digging into her arms as he held her so tightly.

"Kakashi," Tsunade looked back down at her apprentice, torn between all the chaos and everything happening so fast.

"He what, what?" She asked.

". . ." her breath came out in a hiss. "Connected . . . to . . . me."

Tsunade's eyes widened, shocked, happy that he wasn't dead and not the least bit confused out of her mind. She had no idea what Sakura had done but if she was alive, than that meant he was alive, even if his body wasn't.

"Shizune, see if you can trace a link between Kakashi and Sakura, they seem to be connected somehow."

Her assistant nodded, heading over to the man surrounded by green light.

"Now," she said to herself. "We need to heal Hinata." She looked at the bleeding, still beating heart in Sakura's hands and was hit by a momentary shot of doubt. What if she couldn't do this? What if she wrong? And even if she did do this she still had to heal Sakura, Sakura whose wounds were as superfluous as Kakashi's. Something had happened to them, some jutsu that was slowly killing them. Hopefully by saving one, she would save the other.

But she needed to do what her apprentice had intended first. After all, she had taught her this.

"But . . . she, she is . . . dead, Hokage-sama," a voice said, soft with disbelief. But Tsunade had no time for the Hyuuga so she swiftly raised her hand.

She grabbed Naruto, her surrogate son, by the neck, lifted him up, even as the skin on her hand started to blister and peel and punched him straight in the face.

He went flying.

She grabbed the beating organ in Sakura's hands, easily pulling it free as the girl loosened her grip and whispered the words that her apprentice had originally planned to say, trying to ignore the cough that rattled Sakura's body as her chakra slid away and back into her own body.

It was up to Tsunade now and she wrapped her chakra around the squishy and soft meat in her hands, keeping it pulsing, throbbing, unwilling to let it become a useless lump of fat. The hokage tore the Hyuuga Heiress''s shirt apart with one hand, baring her chest to the world.

But she felt chakra lash out at her and sensed a boiling mass of hate and rage and malice coming at her. That stupid boy, didn't he realise what she was trying to do?

Obviously someone did since Sasuke jumped in front of Naruto, locking red with red and travelling to that place deep inside where he had been once before.

Without a glance back, Tsunade started, pressing the heart against Hinata's dead, and now cold chest, the last of its warmth gone.

"From theirs to yours, heart to heart, this life I give, this gift I impart." Hinata's chest started to become transparent, and it was with steady hands but a sweaty brow that Tsunade pushed the heart inside her chest, letting its living tissue breathe life into her own dead one.

"What was taken, is now yours, and once again, you live once more."

There was a second of silence, with which Kiba's cries were drowned out, Sakura's desperate gasps were nothing and the medics had all seemed to stop speaking. There was a second of silence with which Tsunade felt that stinging feel of panic, the same she had felt with Dan when she realised that yes, he was dying, and yes, there was nothing she could do about.

Then Hinata's eyes opened and Naruto, the still tearful, destroyed but no longer Kyuubi Naruto was there, being careful not to prick the girls' skin with his retracting claws as he held her face in the palm of his hands.

"Na-" she tried to say.

But he cut her off.

"I love you." The fox boy said, a wide smile adorning his face even as he cried tears of joy and relief.

Her eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp in Naruto's arms.

* * *

Sakura felt Tsunade drag her body across the ground and she was glad that her teacher had automatically picked up on what she had planned to do. She felt Hinata's legs heat beneath her, blood flowing through and she smiled a bitter smile.

She closed her eyes as Tsunande placed her hands on her chest, using her healing chakra to heal the wounds inside her body. Itome's chakra had disappeared the moment his heart had reawaken Hinata, but it had slowly been tightening around the cords and tendons in her body, severing the meat in her chest.

Sakura's heart was bleeding, and not just metaphorically.

With lidded eyes, Sakura lost consciousness and went to her memories, searching for Kakashi.

"Kakashi, Kakashi," she called, the world of her old home appearing around her. She was in her room and she pushed open the door, running down the stairs.

There was no blood anymore, no screaming girl on the grown or torn out eyes. Everything was empty, the furniture missing. Sakura felt frantic as if she was racing against time and something was pulling her; demanding her to come this way.

She ran out the front door, down the empty streets and through the town.

"Kakashi!" Sakura screamed, panic nearly closing her throat down. She wiped frantically at her eyes, trying to see through the blur.

She ran to the stone monument where he lay on the ground, staring at those names he always stared at. Sakura fell to her knees, skidding across the ground and tore his mask off, hands shaking as blood pooled on the ground.

"No! Stay with me! Stay with me!" But even though she called her chakra, nothing happened and then she saw the green strands entwined around his body, the hole in his chest and how it disappeared inside and wrapped around his heart. She looked down and saw the same, it was the exact same as hers.

They were linked.

And so Sakura raised a hand, called her chakra, weaved and sculptured it to fit a scalpel and cut the thread that linked them together in half.

* * *

Kakashi stared at their names; Rin, Obito and said a silent prayer, a part of him thankful that he would get to see his long lost teammates again. He started to fade, even as he heard the frantic thump of her footsteps as she ran to him and her cries. He heard her ask for him to stay, to stay with her.

'_That would be nice, to stay with her.'_

For once, he was in agreement with that voice in his head. 'Yeah, that would be nice.'

Kakashi woke up to Shizune's shocked face and Tsunade shouting, "hold on Sakura! Don't you dare give up on me, damnit!"

Kakashi breathed in, but he could only hear his thoughts, only feel his blood coursing through his veins, could only touch the cold tiled floor, could only taste his own heartbeat on his tongue and could only see Sakura, his beautiful Sakura, her shining pink hair lying limply on the floor as Tsunade forced her chakra inside her student.

He couldn't feel Sakura anymore.


	18. Wait for the moment and breathe

A/N: And doooone. Done diddly done. I could've finished this a while ago, but nah, I had a bridal shower to go to today and Uni, all the weeks before that. And I just felt like being lazy.

And so! Another cliffhanger!

Sort of... Mwahaha.

We are getting a sneak peak into Ino [I really enjoyed writing her] and Shizune's pov. The Shizune excerpt was completely and utterly unplanned but I'm glad I did it.

Posting this then making some food. Cause I am huuuungry.

**Lately I've been hard to reach. I've been too long on my own. Everybody has a private world.  
Where they can be alone.  
Are you calling me, are you trying to get through?  
Are you reaching out for me, I'm reaching out for you.**

Wait for the moment and breathe

"Kiba, get up."

But he didn't move.

"Kiba, get up right now. He's dead." But he ignored her, his head against the coated fur. He nuzzled it, trying to pretend that Akamaru wasn't dead, that he wasn't going to move his head and lick a long line across the nearest piece of skin.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and it started to pull him back. He refused but she kept pulling, saying things to him. She kept saying "he's dead."

Kiba wanted her to shut up.

"Kiba, listen to me right now!"

A careless hand went to close to him again and with clawed fingers, he swiped, rage clouding his vision. He felt his claws slice skin and he could smell fresh blood. Kiba gave a broken laugh, amazed that he could still smell over all the blood in this place, all the death.

That persistent hand came back and when he attacked again, she responded, smacking him with a closed fist. It knocked his head back and the dog-boy could already feel his eye start to swell. That one hit seemed to knock the anger out of him and he merely collapsed, resting his head on Akamaru's body.

_Dead body._

_Dead._

Kiba started to sob again, and arms encircled him, pulling him off the dog and into familiar breasts.

"I wanted to kill that bastard," Kiba somehow got out and she rocked him, crooning softly as she stroked his hair.

"I know baby," Tsume said.

"I know."

* * *

Kakashi woke up, this time on a soft bed, with no screaming. He went to sit up but a rush of blood made his surroundings go blurry and he fell back with a 'plop'.

'What, what happened?'

'_Don't ask me, I just got up too.'_

This wasn't his first time waking up in a hospital, and it wasn't the first time he didn't remember how but Kakashi knew something bad had happened.

Why did he notice there was no screaming? Had there been screaming last time? Kakashi frowned, a hand going up to make sure that his mask still covered his face. It did. Slowly, he became more aware of his surroundings, enough to know that he was severely weakened. Enough to know that there was another person in the room.

"Ino?"

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl was standing beside the window, looking out. She didn't jump at his words but turned around with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"You're awake."

"Yes."

She looked back out the window. "That's good. I should probably go get Tsunade-sama or Shizune-san." But she didn't move.

"She's alive."

"Who's alive?" Kakashi asked, feeling his head ache. He was confused, he couldn't remember anything. What had happened? Who was this 'she' Ino was talking about? Last thing Kakashi knew, was that he and Ino were not that close, so he had no idea what elicited her to visit him.

Ino turned startled eyes to him.

"Don't you remember?" she asked, worry taking over her features.

"I –" and Kakashi hesitated, a hand going to his head as it started to throb more and more and the other going to his heart. The silver-haired nin felt alone, as if he was being cut off from something, from someone.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Ino yelled in panic as said man started to pant and shake in pain. She quickly rushed over, placing healing hands over where he was holding.

"Somebody, help!" She yelled, as she pushed her chakra inside him. But his body didn't want her chakra, it wasn't what he needed.

"You have to calm down, Kakashi-sensei. You're causing you're body to hurt itself." He was doing this to himself?

'What's wrong with me?'

"Kakashi-sensei. You have to calm down."

"Who -, who is 'she'?" Kakashi gasped out, desperate to know. He was forgetting something important, something very, very important.

Tsunade came charging in, Shizune right behind her, when Ino spoke.

"Sakura, Kakashi. I'm talking about Sakura."

And with that Kakashi remembered.

He remembered everything.

* * *

_Three days ago_

"NO SAKURA! Don't you dare you give out of me now! Fight, god damn it! Fight!" And Kakashi watched with hope that was slowly failing. He had failed her, it was all his fault.

Tsunade started to cry, and still she poured her chakra in, raising one fist and smacking it down over Sakura's chest. The pink-haired girl's body bounced, but she did not breathe. And so Tsunade tried again.

And again.

And again and again and again, until Ino came rushing in, hands going to either side of Sakura's head, activating her mind jutsu. Tsunade kept working, muttering something about 'his chakra' and 'chakra coils being destroyed'.

And Ino searched Sakura's mind, unaware of the desperation that had etched itself into Naruto and Kakashi's face. If Kakashi had looked over to Sasuke, he would have seen a hopelessness that hadn't been there since the moment he had seen his brother, his beloved brother, standing over his parents dead bodies.

Sakura's body did not turn blue, it couldn't, not with Tsunade forcing her heart to beat and her blood to pump. Ino frowned, her beautiful, smooth face wrinkling with exertion, a few tears slipping out from underneath closed eyelids.

"C'mon Sakura, I know you're in there. I can feel you. You just have to fight."

Kakashi's gaze started to fade, even as Shizune healed him. His body was sore and tired and he had been basically leaving off of Sakura for what felt like days. And so he closed his eyes with Sakura's name on his lips.

He closed his eyes at the exact moment that she took in a rattling breath.

* * *

"Ino?" Sakura said, from where she was leaning against her inner. "What are you doing in here?"

"What am I doing?" she shouted back, fear and panic making her react with anger. "I'm trying to save your stupid life you idiot! Now stop talking and start fighting."

Sakura frowned and her inner stroked her hair.

"Fighting? But I'm so tired, Ino . . . I'm so . . ."

Sakura started to drift off and Ino ran forward, along the paths of her best friend's mind, until she had her face in her palms, fingers gripping strands of hair. Ino shook hair, droplets of salty water flying out then disappearing on the white floor.

A dark yellow chakra was steadily climbing its way up Sakura's body and for once, the blonde-haired girl saw the scars that Sakura had kept hidden for so long. And with that, every memory of what she had hidden came forth to Ino.

"How could you not tell me?" she asked but Sakura didn't answer, and when she looked over to yell at her inner, she realised that at some point, she had disappeared.

Ino leant forward, placing her forehead to that large one she always teased her friend about and begged.

"Forehead. . . Sakura. Please." Her fingers tightened around the pink strands even as Sakura's eyes glazed over. "I need you to fight, I need you to come back to me. We need you."

She stared into those dead eyes.

"Please."

And Sakura said, "okay."

* * *

"Get these girls to ICU right now!" Tsunade shouted orders even as she felt her side-effects of her jutsu start. Naruto picked up a comatose Hinata, letting Tsunade lay a hand against her forehead before waving him over to the other medics.

The diamond on her forehead was gone.

"Shizune."

"Hai?" her apprentice said, ready and eager to please as always. Tsunade was reminded again that even though the girl, no, the woman, always harassed her about paperwork and drinking, she was the perfect assistant.

"Monitor these two and place Kakashi in the room next door."

Shizune nodded, and set to work, casting a quick glance of concern at her mentor. Tsunade merely waved her off but her assistant took the moment to speak to the Hyuuga and Tenten.

They helped her off the ground, even though she scowled and said "I'm fine."

They helped her to the nearest room, let her lay on the bed, just in time for her body to finish aging and her mind to succumb to the effects of nearly pushing every last dreg of her chakra into Sakura.

Tsunade fell into a coma for two days.

And Kakashi woke up a day later.

* * *

_Two days ago_

Shizune ran back and forth, alternating between the Hokage work, with which she had pulled Izumo and Kotetsu into help with, attending to Kakashi and the girl's and visiting her mentor every moment she got.

With frazzled hair and a tired complexion, Shizune slumped into the chair beside Tsunade's withered body, resting for a moment, even though she knew she had to get back up and keep working.

But for now, for this moment, she laid a tired head against the bed, letting her hair cheek touch Tsunade's arm. This woman, her aunt, she had been like a mother.

Sakura, her friend, had been like a sister.

Hinata, her comrade, had been someone who would always comment on what a lovely job she did, eliciting a weary laugh from the Hokage's assistant.

And Kakashi, the aloof ninja, well, Shizune had hoped that he would one day secure the title of brother-in-law.

Some people forgot that Shizune was a ninja and that was their mistake. Because ninja's see things, especially those that are the personal assistant of the Hokage.

"Shizune," he said, letting the warmth of his presence be enough to let her know that he was here.

"I brought you coffee."

And Shizune pulled herself up, placed a quick kiss to her mentor's wrinkled skin and took the offered drink. She didn't thank him for not telling her to stop, to slow down.

But she did thank him for the coffee.

"I'll stay here, you finish up and come back in an hour."

Okay, so maybe he was telling her stop. He rolled the senbon in his mouth, taking her place on the seat beside Tsunade's bed.

Shizune took a sip of the coffee, her face softening at the sight of him there. Maybe she should take him up on his hints? Maybe, it wouldn't be that bad, if they went on a date?

"All right," she agreed.

"I'll see you in an hour Genma."

* * *

_One day ago_

Tsunade woke up to Naruto curled around her body.

For thirty minutes she feigned sleep, not able to find it in her to get angry that the boy had his face in her breasts and his arms around waist.

She breathed in his hair and thought he smelt like her brother.

And she wondered how she could have ever no to him.

'What are you talking about, you old bag? You let him get away with everything.' Tsunade smiled.

She could almost picture the memory when Jiraiya had said that.

* * *

_Today_

"I need to see her," Kakashi said, attempting to stand up. Tsunade and Ino didn't even get a chance to raise their hands threateningly before said man crumpled under the weight of his injuries.

His body had died, even though his soul had lingered on and it was a miracle that he was even awake.

"You can't Kakashi. You're too weak."

Kakashi tentatively moved into a comfortable position, feeling awkward in the hospital gown. He hated being changed when he was unconscious. And everything else they had to do. He didn't even want to look down and see the bag that had all his 'liquids' and other things in it.

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days Hatake-san," Shizune answered.

"Hmm, that long."

"Well by all accounts you should be dead," Ino added, seeming unhappy with his mediocre reaction.

"What about Sakura. And Hinata."

Tsunade sighed, ignoring the worried glances of the two other women in the room.

"She's in a coma Kakashi." The slug princess crossed her arms under her ample breasts.

"They both are."


	19. Give the kids a show

Hello everyone :D Hope you're all good.

**Like a fuck you for Christmas**

Give the kids a show

She'd been in a coma for three weeks, and Naruto had left her hospital room once. It had not been his choice, because baa-chan had physically removed him and threatened that she would choose someone else to become Hokage if he did not go home and get a decent night's sleep. Kakashi had backed her up, but that still wouldn't have been enough.

It was when Sasuke told him to just 'shut up and go home' that he had given in, still feeling a little bit betrayed by all of them.

* * *

He sat by her side, holding her hand, talking to her about everything and anything. He had already told her his whole entire childhood, from the neglect of the fellow villagers to meeting Kyuubi and his fight with Sasuke.

And every night, before he closed his eyes to lay his head on the bed next to her immobile legs, he whispered what he should have said the moment that she had admitted her love to him, all those years ago.

"I love you."

"Dobe, you're going to get a cramp in your neck."

Naruto jumped up, startled, and turned to see Sasuke standing in the doorway, face set in his usual frown.

"What are you doing here teme?" He said back but there was no bite to it. He was tired and sad and heartbroken, and really, he had forgiven Sasuke for punching a hole through his chest, there was no way he could stay angry at him because he had told him to go home and rest.

Not that Naruto would admit that, he still had his pride.

Sasuke looked over at the bed on the other side of Naruto, it home to an equally immobile woman. Both Sakura and Hinata were alive but they were still in coma's and Tsunade, though unwilling to let go, was starting to spend all her time in the hospital, bags under her eyes as she searched medical books for a cure.

For all accounts and purposes, Sakura and Hinata had healed, so they should be awake.

"You should go home."

"So should you."

Sasuke didn't answer, choosing instead to step closer to Naruto, unconsciously giving him support.

"What if she never wakes up teme?" Naruto asked, blue eyes shimmering with pain. He looked up at his best friend. "What do I do?"

Sasuke felt uncomfortable, not sure to react at the best of times to Naruto's open emotions.

"She will wake up."

And then he awkwardly pat Naruto on the shoulder, quickly pulling back. At least he would have if Naruto hadn't put his own hand over Sasuke's, squeezing tightly. The tremors in his fingers, going up his arm let Sasuke ignore the fact that he didn't like being touched, was only ever touched if it was to cause pain.

So he stood there, and he grasped Naruto's shoulder, as they stood watching, waiting, for the women they cared about to come back to them.

_

* * *

Hinata was sitting down, though she could not feel or see what was underneath her. Her arms outstretched, fingers straining for something, she calmed down when she felt her mother brush her hair._

"_Sweetheart, what are you doing?"_

_Hinata frowned. "Mother?"_

"_He waits." Hinata tried to turn but she was lying on her back and her head was in her mother's lap. Her legs were hanging off something, feeling weightless in the air._

"_I used to like the smell of lilies," Hinata said, not knowing why she said it._

_Her mother leant over and she smelt like lilies. _

"_I hate lilies," she added._

"_Something else is here," her mother said, stroking her cheek. She leant forward and her breath fanned across closed eyes, though Hinata did not remember closing them. "Be careful my child."_

"_Of what?" Hinata asked._

"_Of losing."_

_She fell from the ground and went through air, landing in a males arms. They felt firm around her body, holding her easily of the ground. She couldn't see who it was but she was scared._

_The arms tightened and chakra wrapped around her throat._

_Hinata started choking._

* * *

Neji leant against the wall, watching as Tenten tended to his cousin and Sakura. The bun-haired girl had visited every day since they had both been hospitalized three weeks ago. She brushed the girls hair, fixed their bed sheets and brought Naruto and Kakashi food and water often. Both men where slouched over on the couch, Naruto completely passed out and with his head on Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi may have been asleep, what with his eyes closed, but no one could ever tell with the copy ninja.

"TenTen, the pillow is fine." The girl had been plumping and fluffing them for over twenty minutes and Neji thought he should say something. She had been going a little overboard.

"Oh, sorry," she laughed awkwardly, waving her hands.

"Hm."

She glanced down at Sakura, gently moving her hair out of her face.

"Do you think they will wake up?"

"Hokage-sama says that they should."

"But she doesn't even know why they are in a coma, they shouldn't be." She cast concerned eyes at the two sleeping men.

"They need to rest," Neji said, feeling odd feelings about fate and destiny. He didn't like it and he didn't like what was happening to Hinata and Sakura. "They are just –"

Beep. Beep. Cough.

Neji was at Hinata's side in an instant, arms pressed to hold her down as she thrashed and contorted.

"Call Hokage-sama! Quick!" He didn't check to know that TenTen was already running out of the room, past an alert Kakashi and waking Naruto.

"What is it? What's happening?" The fox boy demanded, holding Hinata's face still in his hands at Neji's orders. She convulsed in their hands and a scream ripped from her throat, going higher and higher until it was a shrill cry that sounded like nothing human. On her neck imprints appeared, finger marks and crescent moons ran red blood.

"It's like someone is choking her," Kakashi said, shoved out of the way when Tsunade and Shizune came rushing in, Ino and TenTen on their heels.

Green glowing hands ran over Hinata's body but with a loud crack Tsunade and everyone else was shoved away from Hinata's body. They fell to their knees, rising as Hinata stood, eyes still closed.

She moved and none of them could stop her and then she was leaning over Sakura, her voice hoarse as she whispered into her ear.

"Hinata," Naruto said, the first to reach her. "Hinata, what's wrong? What are you doing to Sakura?" Hinata raised her hand, fingers straight and came down with a force and speed that made everyone move into action.

Hinata was trying to kill Sakura.

* * *

Well it's dark in here."

'_No shit sherlock'_ Inner Sakura sneered, her naked body wrapped around the only source of warmth and light. 'Not only is it freezing but we're naked.'

"Why are we always naked?"

'_Don't ask me.'_

"Where are we?"

'_I don't know.'_

"God you're in a pissy mood today."

'_I want Kakashi!' _her Inner whined, grabbing Sakura and pulling her closing, there naked bodies pressed together around the light bulb to share what little warmth they had. It was unnerving and Sakura felt weirdly detached from the fact that she was pressed against her naked body, her Inners body.

"What happened?"

'_I think we died.'_

"Well if this is heaven then it sucks."

'_Hey,' _her Inner sneered, _'how do you think I feel stuck in here with you?'_

Both Sakura's scowled, an anger mark on their cheeks. Words whispered in the darkness and they both strained their ears.

"What's it saying," Sakura asked, her legs rubbing against her Inner's to create friction.

'_I don't know, shut up.'_

"Don't tell me to –"

"Wake up," the intangible voice said. And Sakura, sick of this desolute and cold place, though she didn't understand, said to herself 'wake up.'

And wake up she did.

* * *

Naruto lunged, arms wrapped around Hinata's soft waist, reacting on instinct. She faltered, taking a step back from the bed but pushed forward against Naruto's arms. Her strength surprised him, she should have been weak from all those weeks lying in a coma. Chakra encased her hand, it sizzling and burning along her fingers.

With effort she tried to attack Sakura again, the others in the room not close enough to stop her. It had only been a few seconds and Naruto felt Kyuubi's chakra flow around him, giving him the speed to stop her.

He wouldn't hurt her, he couldn't but he wouldn't let her kill Sakura.

He had to save them both.

_

* * *

4 years ago_

Jiraiya fingered the picture of Tsunade, smiling at it while he picked up his glass of sake. He swallowed it all in one go, cheeks going red at the strength of it.

"Another one, Jiraiya-sama?" His beautiful young hostess asked, and pocketing Tsunade's picture he turned on the charm.

"I would love one beautiful." She giggled, her face highlighted with pleasure. He was always good to his women and he always made them feel special and loved. After all, Jiraiya did love every single one of his women and they all held a special place in his heart.

But he would give his Casanova ways up in an instant if only he get the one woman he wanted.

Jiraiya picked up his pen, waiting for the girl to return with his drink, writing down the next tale for his Icha Icha series and idea based on a well-known student already playing out in his head.

And he had the perfect female to go with him. The stupid boy just had to realise it and get over Sakura, though Jiraiya could understand his infatuation. After all, he was in-love with an older, much more violent version.

Jiraiya pulled out another scroll, a frown masking over his face as he re-read over Tsunade's letter. Wishing he was there to comfort his stubborn love, he instead started making plans for finding this Itome man.

He would have to send Naruto back to Konoha but that was okay, they had just finished their training anyway.

_

* * *

Today_

Sakura opened her eyes to shaking fingertips a breaths hair away from her eyes. They were covered in chakra. She followed up and saw Hinata with Naruto's hand wrapped around her wrist, preventing her from finishing the blow.

"Hinata?" Sakura rasped, confused and with tears pooling in her dry eyes.

But Hinata didn't answer, someone else did.

"She's all mine now, my cherry blossom."

* * *

A/N:

And you thought it was near the end or getting happy. Hah! Never!


	20. Gaining control

A/N: This one's a bit shorter, and not as much of a cliffhanger, but I wanted to get it done. I can sincerely say, that I have no idea what is going to happen in the next chapter but that I'm feeling in the mood to make Sakura be unhealthily repressive. Yay.

**And I just can't look. It's killing me and taking control.**

Gaining control

Kakashi watched Hinata scream, grab her head and force her own chakra out through every pore in her body. A bubble of purple surrounded the poor girl, her voice becoming hoarse with noises that no one had ever heard the quiet girl make.

Kakshi moved to Sakura, wrapping arms around her as she tried to move forward and help Hinata. He wouldn't let her, not until he knew who was in charge of Hinata. Naruto, hesitant with wide eyes, encircled Hinata's wrists when she let loose another cry.

Tearful, always so open with his emotions, Naruto pulled Hinata's hands away from her face.

She looked up at him, anothers thoughts sliding behind her eyes.

Naruto reached one hand behind to entwine fingers in her hair and the other one to wrap around her shoulders. He gripped her hard and she starting choking on her own fear and panic.

And Naruto brought his lips to hers and kissed her, swallowing her audible pain as she fought Itome and keeping her grounded as the two chakra's fought in her body.

She stilled, Naruto's back bleeding with cuts from her fingernails, Kyuubi already working on healing them and her own tears fell, joining Naruto's.

Sakura fought against Kakashi, but she was too weak and he pressed her against his chest, not letting her go. She squirmed in his arms, clawing until she too was holding him back, her pert breast heaving with the force of her gasps.

'_Not the time for these thoughts old man.'_

. . . Yes, back to the situation, the dramatic and very, very bad situation.

Kakashi rest his chin against Sakura's hair, still taking care to breathe in her scent as he kept wary eyes (or eye in this case) on the fox-boy and Hyuuga girl.

Hinata grabbed Naruto's cheeks and in something completely unexpected and forward of the girl, she planted her lips on his and started kissing him with fervour. Naruto returned and quickly raising the headband of his sharingan, Kakashi saw that the chakra, the disgusting, vile yellow chakra, was now pushed back and centred around Hinata's heart.

They both came up for air, Naruto stunned and Hinata blushing.

Kakashi saw the chakra inside of her flare, taking this opportune moment.

"It's coming back!"

But Hinata was already thrashing in Naruto's arms and this time his kiss didn't work. She wouldn't stay still long enough.

Too preoccupied with what was happening, Kakashi didn't expect the elbow to the gut, nor the backhead to the nose and he couldn't stop Sakura as she jumped forward.

"Sakura no!"

She was going to try and heal her, but Itome would try and kill her.

But Sakura didn't do what any of them expected.

Instead she forced every last ounce of her chakra into Hinata, Kakashi feeling a pull on his own and then she fell into a dead faint.

And Hinata, back in control, caught the girl before collapsing to her own knees.

Tsunade was there in a second, passing over Hinata as the girl said she was fine and instead keeping Sakura alive, yet again.

Kakashi, wobbly on his own legs, felt his chakra leaving, going into the vast emptiness that was Sakura's body. They were still connected, joined for some unfathomable reason. But that didn't matter, as long as she was alive.

And she was, and so was Hinata.

And that was all that mattered.

* * *

Hinata fought to remain upright, sitting on the edge of her bed. Naruto held her hand and Kakashi sat by Sakura's bed, his own hand itching to hold the one he loved. Neji hovered in the background protectively and Tenten hovered behind him. Tsunade brushed young fingers, though they should be callused and wrinkled, over her chakra pathways.

'_Kill him, stab those beautiful fingers right through his heart.'_

Hinata desperately ignored him, tightening her shaking fingers around Naruto's.

"What is he saying?" Tsunade asked, absolutely focused in her doctor mode.

"H-h-h-he," she couldn't even speak, she was stuttering that bad.

She took a deep breath and Naruto whispered words of encouragement. It made her heart ache, not just because it was essentially being powered by someone elses, but, because, on the day she finally got to kiss her Naruto-kun, she had also tried to kill his friend and teammate.

"He is s-s-saying h-horrible th-things."

'_It isn't horrible, it would be fun and it would be so easy, wouldn't Hinata-chan?' _He taunted. _'You're so strong, you could show them all what you're capable of.'_

Hinata ignored him, worried because Sakura was yet again in a coma and because Kakashi hadn't left his chair, though he always slouched against walls, never sitting even when injured. There had been a fine tremor in her arms, sweat at the nape of his neck and other nearly imperceptible things that Hinata had noticed. She had been watching him carefully, anything to keep her mind off the words Itome was speaking, his own attempt to break the fragile control she maintained.

"Has it occurred before?" Neji asked, arms folded and countenance rigid. Naruto shot in his own questions and Hinata stared as Kakashi blinked in quick concession, as if he had to or he would lose his sight.

"I have never heard of it, but I've only done this once before and the one whose life I used was nothing like that bastard Itome."

"So is it him? Is he really there?" Naruto asked, voice strong but his body language caring and protective. His eyes were flashing from blue to red and no one thought to suggest that he calm down or that he be careful to not lose control.

They were all worried.

A fly buzzed around Kakashi's head and Hinata focused on it as it landed on Kakashi's shoulder, the copy-nin not even bothering to swipe at it. He looked down at Sakura, face pale and drawn once again, but Hinata did not.

She didn't want to hear what Itome thought about Sakura, not again.

She had never felt so disgusted and violated before in her life.

Because now Hinata knew everything that had happened to Sakura and she couldn't think about that. She couldn't think about that when she was trying to ignore his chakra coiling around her heart, slithering against her own, attempting to seize control.

She couldn't.

She just couldn't.

* * *

"What has happened to do my daughter exactly, Hokage-dono," Hinata's father demanded, standing beside his daughter whose eyes moved feverishly under their lids and whose hand clenched around Naruto's at odd intervals.

"It seems, though I have never personally seen this side effect, that Itome's will has lingered on and is attempting to control Hinata."

"So he's alive?" Naruto asked, voice thick with rage and fear. Sasuke, standing beside him, awkwardly twitched, as if he were thinking but deciding not to console Naruto.

Kakashi could hardly hear them over the beat of Sakura's heart, of both their hearts, and though he didn't understand (and Kakashi hated not understanding things), he was somewhat thankful for whatever odd thing had happened to join them together. If they hadn't, then both he and Sakura and Hinata would have died a long time ago.

"He is dead, but a remnant, a part of his soul, is trying to take over Hinata."

"To what extent?" Hiashi didn't look at his daughter and Naruto didn't seem to have enough anger left in him to hate Hiashi for it.

Kakashi wanted Sakura to wake up.

"I don't know for sure," Tsunade replied, "I'll have to do some tests."

"What will happen to my daughter?"

And Naruto cut it, "will she be alright?"

Tsuande frowned, folding her arms under her ample breasts.

"Her chakra control will be extremely helpful in this case, as it is much like Sakura's, but I suspect that she will have to fight for the right to control her body."

Kakashi opened his mouth, drooping eye focused on the muscles twitching in Sasuke's back. "Then Sakura will just have to help her."

Tsunade nodded and no one spoke out loud that maybe Sakura wouldn't wake up. They had woken up once, and they would both wake up again.

Kakashi felt Sakura's disorientation before she woke, and he let loose a sigh of relief, pretending not to notice.

"I'll help her," Sakura said, licking her chapped lips as she roused herself from her bed. "After all, I know Itome's mind better than anyone."


	21. Some tender loving care

A/N: In case any of you are confused,

*cough CryingSnowBlossom cough*

essentially Itome is dead but a bit of his 'soul/will' has lingered on in Hinata – e.g his thoughts, feelings, chakra etc. However if Itome takes full control over Hinata, than his 'soul/will' will be able to call him back from the grave, thereby essentially 'resurrecting' Itome.

As craizypet said, "itome seems to be like a cockcroach, no matter how many times you seem to step on it (or in this case STAMP on it) it still seems to live on."

She's so right. Itome's like Orochimaru. Lol. How did I never realise?

Spoiler note: [though I never usually do this cause the fun is all in the surprise] I've done my first yuri coupling in fanfic! It was very easy, probably because I'm so comfortable and loving with my best-friend that we are basically like lesbians. Sigh, I wish I was in-love with her, that way everything would be so much easier. She feels the same.

Oh and there's some Shino/Kiba loving for MizzAKA.

And finally some progress on Saku/Kaka's relationship!

Whoa, this is a really long Author's note. 0_0 Okay! On to the story!

**I wanna see what you're insides look like  
I bet you're not fuckin pretty on the inside**

Some tender loving care

Sakura held her hands over Hinata, demonstrating as she manoeuvred her chakra to different points in her finger tips. Hinata watched on, byakugan eyes watches the minutes changes of Sakura's chakra.

They had been at this for over seven hours now but Hinata refused to give up. She had told the pink-haired girl that she wanted control; she wanted to be able to make his voice stop.

Sakura had changed the subject, not wanting to focus on the fact that Itome, a part of Itome's soul, had lingered on in Hinata. She hated herself, wished she'd thought of something other than using Itome's heart to keep Hinata alive.

It was her fault that Hinata was going through this. Poor, sweet, innocent Hinata who had just wanted to save Kakashi. Kakashi who had been hurt because of her, because Itome wanted her.

She should have killed him years ago, that way he wouldn't have been able to destroy Kiba by killing his best friend or to force Naruto to watch the love of his life be forced to think thoughts that she would never think.

"Sakura-san?"

And now she'd zoned out again, though her chakra had still worked normally even with its owner being absent-minded.

But Hinata had noticed, had been unnaturally observant of every movement Sakura had made and every word she had spoken.

It creeped her out but the medic-nin had a feeling that Hinata didn't even notice what she was doing, was completely unaware that at times she stroked Sakura's wrists in ways that weren't just for observation.

"Sorry Hinata-chan, I just wandered off for a bit."

Hinata frowned and gently closed Sakura's hands.

"Maybe we should stop for a while," she said softly and Sakura agreed, trying not to appear too eager.

Sakura went to pull her hands away but Hinata didn't let go.

"Hinata-chan?"

Hinata was breathing heavily, her byakugan gone though she didn't take her eyes of Sakura's face. A thought, a sliver of something else, flickered behind Hinata's eyes and Sakura had to steel herself not to shriek, not to pull away.

"Control, fine-tune your chakra, just that little bit more. Close of his chakra, don't let it go any further," Sakura told her, wishing that the almost-perfect Hyuuga chakra was enough even though it wasn't.

"Sakura, knock me out."

"What?"

Hinata asked again, her quiet voice trembling as her fingers tightened, digging into Sakura's skin.

"He is taking over again," she whispered.

Itome, no, Sakura said to herself, Itome's chakra, because it wasn't Itome, Itome was dead.

Dead.

She had killed him herself.

Itome's chakra had tried to take over at least once every hour during these seven hours and each time Hinata seemed closer to the edge, closer to losing control even as she regulated her chakra more evenly and kept his filthy yellow chakra around her heart.

But Hinata acted with her heart more than her head, just like a familiar, spikey-haired blonde and these thoughts of Itome were hurting her.

"Listen to me, just follow what I say," Sakura breathed, shaking as Hinata leant forward and pressed delicate lips to her collarbone.

Warmth rushed underneath the spot and Sakura wanted to hit herself for reacting that way, wondering what Kakashi would say if he knew, wondering how Naruto would feel.

Actually, they were both perverted, so they'd probably tell them to do more.

Those delicate lips moved up and those strong but soft hands cupped her face, drawing her to stare into lilac eyes.

But what Sakura saw there wasn't entirely Hinata, was something darker and more twisted and wouldn't just stop at these gentle caresses.

Hinata forced Sakura onto her back, straddling her and still Sakura told her to breathe, to just work through this.

Until Hinata full on kissed Sakura, tongue, teeth and all and Sakura moaned beneath her, thrashing and rubbing her thighs together.

Then she didn't want her to stop, just wanted someone to love her.

"Cherry blossom," said the voice that was Hinata's but not and the scars on Sakura's thighs flared.

And Sakura knocked Hinata out.

* * *

"Sorry," Sakura said, though the Hyuuga princess didn't blame her.

All she felt was shame; shame and hate, because she'd been too weak, she had let Itome take over.

Though she had enjoyed kissing Sakura and that was probably how he'd won.

Hinata was absolutely mortified, and swearing to never tell Naruto, though she felt like she should. He was always so honest with her, so loving and she had betrayed him. Betrayed him with his friend, his teammate and the woman he had once been in-love with.

Hinata was a horrible person, a horrible, weak-willed person.

Her father had been right.

"I – I think I shall go home." Sakura agreed though her face was scrunched up in concern.

"I'll walk you home," she offered but Hinata declined, bowing deeply before leaving as quick as she could.

Horrible, a horrible person.

Her mother would be ashamed.

* * *

Shino knocked on the door, waiting politely for Tsume-san to yell at him to come in.

That woman always yelled, or growled or sneered, she was much like her companion in that regard. Having his own companions constantly with him, he understood why. He was quiet but as deadly as his bugs, and as easily forgotton.

Just like that time Naruto had forgotton him.

"Hurry up and come in Shino!" Tsume yelled and Shino took off his shoes, following the woman's head jerk to the backyard.

"He's moping, snap him out of it."

Some would think Tsume was being unnecessary cruel, but she was trying to do what was best for her son. Shino had seen her comfort and hug Kiba, but they both knew that if she tried again he would have none of it.

Kiba didn't like letting others see his weakness.

His mother understood that.

Shino moved forward silently, not bothering to make himself known as Kiba, with his arms full of the tiny new-born puppies, already knew he was here.

"I haven't named them yet," Kiba said, placing a firm nose into the mass of wriggling bodies. Akamaru's bitch had had puppies, but in the upheaval of everything it was understandable that many hadn't remembered. Kiba had received countless arm-clasps, and his family deeply understood his pain, but it didn't help.

Shino knew that he could do nothing but be here for him. And for Hinata.

"Hinata visited."

Shino already knew, having met the girl after her lesson's with Sakura. The Hyuuga was suffering her own turmoil but she was still concerned with how her teammate was doing.

"She is a good teammate," Shino responded, hiding his face behind his coat. He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to react.

Akamaru was, had been, Kiba's best friend.

Shino thought about what it would be like to lose his best friend, to lose Kiba. It hurt, so he knelt down beside the dog-loving boy and stared at the pups.

The one in the centre, it looked exactly like Akamaru had, no semblance of its mother at all. The other two were white with dots of red, though the female had two long streaks down the side of her body.

"You should name the one in the middle Akamaru, since he looks like Akamaru did as a pup."

Kiba sniffed, a tear drop landing on its fur and he gave a harsh laugh.

"I was thinking that too."

"Why Akamaru? That stupid fucking Itome, and now he's messed up Hinata too."

"We will help her."

"And he nearly killed everyone else and Naruto went Kyuubi and it just fucking sucks and I want him back."

Shino put a hesitant hand on Kiba's shoulder, the pups breaking free and rolling around on the ground.

"I miss him," Kiba cried and sobbed, not moving away from the hand that kept him grounded.

"I – I'll miss him too," Shino stumbled over his words, flustered and uncomfortable and just wanting to make Kiba better. He didn't know if he should hug him or cry with him or plant a kiss against those plump lips.

Shino automatically knew that would be inappropriate and completely out of the question, but it hurt him to see Kiba hurting, the bugs inside of him moving uncomfortably with his heightened blood pressure.

"Shino?"

"Yes," Shino said, unable to his gaze away from the reddened, blood-shot eyes that still had tears falling from them.

"Hug me?"

". . ." Shino extended his arms, not even having to move since Kiba threw himself against his chest.

"Don't tell anyone about this."

The bug-boy breathed in Kiba's scent, still smelling dimly of Akamaru and nodded, causing Kiba's untamed hair to caress his cheek.

"Thanks."

Shino was silent.

* * *

Kakashi stepped up beside Sakura, not surprised when she jumped at his sudden appearance.

"Kaka-sensei? What are you doing here?"

"Maa, just checking up on my favourite student."

The young girl frowned at him warily, but Kakashi just continued perusing his book, understand that he had ulterior motives. The man could admit to himself that he always had ulterior motives, what was the fun without them?

"And what did you want to check up on?" She asked, stiffening as they were now alone and he knew that she knew he had seen things.

Kakashi now knew what her secret was and the copy-ninja wanted to smack her silly for keeping it from him. He also wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be fine, just like he had when she was younger, but that hadn't worked out and he wasn't going to lie to her.

"I just wanted to ask if you were planning on killing yourself any time soon?"

Sakura balked, eyes widening and spun to face him.

"What?"

"Because," Kakashi said, smile on his face as he closed his book. And put it away."I would have a real problem with that and I might have to stop you."

"I – I don't know what you're talking about . . ."

Kakashi grabbed her by the arms, fingers clenched around her muscled arms and got up close and personal.

"Ma ma, Sakura-chan, no more lies between us, okay?"

Said girl was pale, and unconsciously her fingers started massaging over her cut legs.

"I'll be watching you a lot closer from now on," the silver-haired man warned, eyes closed in mock happiness.

"So don't try anything stupid."

And he left her there and went off to buy some food, making sure to leave one of his dogs behind to watch her.

Oh, Kakashi was serious, dead serious.

Because he'd made the decision not to let her go.


	22. Favourite girl

A/N: Okay, this is all about suicide and depression but it oddly came out in a, well, not happy, but in a light-hearted way. Odd, for me, but again, it eerily worked . . .

And I wrote it all in like an hour, I've just been writing looooadddss today, this morning. Okay it's 4.43 am and I haven't gone to bed . . .

There is hardly any dialogue in this but I just think it makes what is said that much more important. Oh, and it's entirely Sakura POV, because I sort of needed to do that.

P.S I love this chapter, not because it's better written (which I think it is) or because its more epic than others (which it sort of isn't) but because it was so entirely different from the others.

I was really undecided about the lyrics for this piece, since there were three REALLY good ones but this is the one I chose, ultimately (after much painful changing-of-minds, it was very back and forth)

P.P.S – Nurofen totally kicks Panadol's ass.

P.P.P.S - I hope I'm still surprising all of you, I do hate to be predictable (which, according to my friends, I don't really ever have to worry about that particular hate of mine)

ENJOY!

**And when my world is falling apart. When there's no light to break up the dark. **

**That's when I look at you. **

Favourite girl

It was starting to irritate her.

Really.

So the first time she had been at her parents grave, unable to watch as Naruto once again held a shaking Hinata in his arms after she had tried to stab Sakura for the third time. The girl had come along way, but everyone and the hair on their big toe could see that whatever Itome's soul was doing, it was getting to her.

She hadn't been intending to kill herself, just a few cuts, just to make the constant thoughts in her brain _go away._

Her kunai had been poised, her skirt/shorts pulled up and those horrible scars that he made bare for all to see.

Then the pop of a teleportation jutsu and Kakashi was standing beside her, book in hand.

"What are you doing here?" She'd all but screamed, fingers tense around the handle even though she made no move to hide it.

"Just felt like turning up."

Then he'd bent down, plucked the kunai out of her grip and walked off, his porn book seemingly capturing all his attention.

Needless to say she'd been frozen at the graveyard for quite a while, mouth open in shock. When it started getting dark and belly started rumbling she figured she might as well go home, because she wasn't so much depressed anymore as just weary.

* * *

The second time she had been scratching at her wrists, steadily cutting into the skin above her veins. She hadn't even noticed what she was doing, just that everyone she looked at had his smile and his black hair and she couldn't even face Sasuke's direction because he had felt that evil and cruel once before and she had _loved him _once.

Digging at herself with blunt fingernails wasn't really that successful, but she wasn't quite aware of what she was doing, too busy trying to stand back and wishing this meeting was over.

Then his hand was around her wrist and he stealthily used what little knowledge he had of basic healing to stop the bleeding and heal the wound. Then her former mentor had placed her hand back in her lap, a cloth conveniently there for her to wipe the blood off.

No one had been the wiser and they had left the meeting. Naruto wanted to go have ramen – how unusual – and Sakura had been in the mood to shout him. Actually, she'd been in the mood to do anything to make Naruto smile because the moments when he went quiet and thoughtful were much too frequent to do anything other than make her feel terribly and horribly guilty.

It was all her fault after all.

All her fault, all her fault.

And the people of this village had called Naruto a monster.

They didn't even know what a monster truly was. All Sakura had to do was look in the mirror, and she could see one. All she had to do was look.

* * *

The third time she had demolished an entire training field, broken numerous bones in her left hand from a mistimed punch and was back-down on the floor, trying to breathe over the taste of metal in her mouth. She didn't let her chakra do its natural healing, choosing instead to feel the pain of every agonising throb in her body.

She deserved this, deserved worse.

But it still didn't compare to that night.

When she woke up, not that she noticed she had fallen asleep (unconscious, same difference), she was in her room, body healed, shoes and clothes except for her undergarments off and a glass of water by the bedside. The nurofen was appreciated, the note telling her 'I borrowed a few books, wanted to compare them, hope you don't mind' wasn't.

Especially when she realised that Kakashi hadn't taken her normal books but instead had found her secret stash of smut. She could only guess what he was going to compare them to, and it made her feel funny to know he would read over the exact same sex scenes that she had.

She had no guess which book Kakashi would prefer.

After all, she had actually read Jiraiya's books. Not that the pink-haired nin would ever let anyone know that.

* * *

The fourth time she had actually finally got the kunai to her thigh, she was even in her locked bathroom, the towel around her body since she hadn't even made it into the shower. It wasn't her fault, the razor just seemed to glint so provocatively at her, and she wasn't even surprised that she had lost the plot enough to think that.

'Come on, just one cut and then everything will be alright' It had said to her, almost as real as Inner-Sakura's voice was.

Then the door knob broke and Kakashi came in holding the other end in his hands.

"Oh, well, the door knob broke in my hand. I think it was a sign from she had made us all in her divine image that I must come in here."

Open mouth, gaping, yep, same reaction as last time, though at least this time, Sakura had enough sense – her type of sense, to throw the razor at the ninja. Of course, he was a ninja, so even at its high velocity, it was nothing for the copy-nin to step to the side and cleanly dodge the flying razor.

"Get out!" She squealed, torn between absolutely fury and shame that he kept capturing her in some of her most vulnerable moments. Because of the vulnerability though the shame turned to anger and if she hadn't been wary of people seeing the blood staining her leg, then she would've followed Kakashi out of her house and down the street.

Instead she just lobbied her lamp after him, shouting all the way.

* * *

The fifth time Sakura was when Sakura became quite certain that Kakashi was using his dog summons to keep track of her, because how else could he be everywhere and anywhere and always know what she was doing?

That and the fact that Pakkun was sleeping on her bed with her last donut half-eaten in his mouth.

She hadn't felt guilty for tipping water over him not one bit, after all, he'd ate her donut and he used the same shampoo she had when she was a genin.

After said dog had woken abruptly and scampered from her rage, she had pounded at the wall, dissolving into unchecked sobs that tore themselves from her throat. She had been fine, really, but her master had been drinking heavily that day and let slip Jiraiya's name while in her alcohol-induced sleep.

She hadn't known the man as well as Naruto and Tsunade but it had made her think of unrequited love and that made her think of Kakashi and she didn't know what to think anymore because he was protecting her and helping her but what if he was only doing it because he felt he had to? Because it was his responsibility?

That made her think that it didn't matter if he might, possibly, hopefully, love her back, because really, she was too dirty, too stained and disgusting and pathetic to deserve him.

She hadn't even made it to anything sharp before he was there, holding her as she cried miserably into his arms.

When she'd cried herself into a stupor, he'd cleaned her face of tears and carried her to her bed, staying there to stroke her hair and whisper consoling words until she'd fallen asleep.

* * *

The sixth time was when she actually tried to kill herself. No bluffs, no hesitation, just a click slit across the wrist.

Hinata had lost it, had nearly fallen under Itome's control and now she was in hospital again, her own clavicle broken from where Hinata had attacked her own body to regain control.

Itome had mocked Naruto and he had been going to say things, to tell everyone that was there, what had transpired between them, but Hinata, beautiful, lovely, sweet, innocent Hinata, had hurt herself before he could do so.

Tsunade and Sakura had healed her, not wanting to tell Naruto that all her internal organs had nearly been shredded and that Itome's chakra was latched around the stem of her brain. Before she'd left, Sakura had leant down over Hinata's comatose body, laying a gentle kiss on her forehead and whispering a thank-you in her ear.

They hadn't talked about what Hinata had seen, what Itome must be speaking to her, but Hinata's worried gaze followed her whenever they met for training. Yet the Hyuuga princess was waiting for Sakura to open up, giving her the subtle hint that she was willing to listen, anytime, but most of all, that she could _understand_.

Her and Kakashi had seen something that she had never wanted anyone to see.

So when she had made it home, no preambles, just a determined stride, a quick grasp of the kunai, she had no thoughts other than that she hoped everyone wasn't too upset when she started to draw the blade across her wrist.

As a medic she knew how much blood contained, as a ninja she had been the cause of it leaving the body more often than not. But when it's coming from your own wrist and you can't quite be sure whether you care or not, is when you realise that that much blood, is really bad for carpet.

And then Kakashi turned up, swearing and pressing down on the second mouth gaping and spewing out the red, red liquid onto her nice, clean carpet.

"You idiot girl! You stupid, idiotic girl! Why do you do this? Can't you see I won't let you die? I refuse to let you die!"

Sakura woke up in the hospital and her shishou, her master, slapped her right across the face.

* * *

The seventh time pissed Sakura off. She had moved past irritation, past annoyance that now Naruto knew she had tried to commit suicide and the absolute mortification that Tsunade had placed her suicide-alert so now she was constantly monitored by friends, to pissed off.

It wasn't just the Ino-pig knew, and boy did that conversation go down well (Tsunade had let slip a little bit of Sakura's past with Itome) but the fact that he _would not leave her alone._

And because he would not leave alone, she tried to use her own chakra to off herself off. That didn't work so well, since her own chakra, inherently a medics' chakra, generally tried to heal her. So she'd been caught in some weird sort of limbo that her speaking in tongues and saying "taste the music boxes, taste the music boxes" over and over again which made no sense.

Kakashi had tried to help, but his touching her had reawakened that odd connection they had and then she could feel herself inside of him and everything just sucked because she felt his resolve, his determination.

He wasn't going to let her die.

"You mother-fucking asshole!" She screamed once they both came back to themselves. "Why now? Huh? Why now do you try to save me when I've slowly been killing myself over the years! Why now when I've actually resolved to leave this shit of live do you constantly have to stop me from doing so? Hinata is becoming a shell of a person because of me, Naruto is having to watch it, and so is her family. Sai is trying his best but he doesn't know what to do and Ino had to find out about what happened THREE YEARS AFTER THE FACT! Kiba lost his best friend and he won't leave the puppy pen and you know what? IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

Sakura crawled over to where Kakashi had fallen on the ground, grabbing his vest and shaking him with each word she all but shrieked into his face.

"Why now? Why can't you let me just die when I deserve to so much?"

Now she couldn't breathe over her own tears and her throat was full of all the things that she'd wanted to say but which were now forcing themselves up and over that painful lump.

"Why? Why? Just stop it, please," she begged, "please let me die."

Kakashi placed a gentle hand on the back of her head, pulling her close until their foreheads touched and their eye/s connected.

"How about we go get something to eat?" He said and a choked laugh was the pink-haired nins response. "I can't let my favourite girl wither away because she hasn't been eating," Kakashi admitted.

"After all, none of want the Sakura we love to die now, do we?"


	23. Love to keep you going

So I got all my documents and stuff transferred over to a new computer. Perfect, because my two novels went over fine [sorry guys, I spend all my time on my novels so this fanfiction is just more of an enjoyable, easy-to-come out story ]

BUUTTTT, the one thing that DID NOT TRANSFER OVER! Was – wait for it! My fanfiction [and it's three completed chapters that I was going to update once I got the internet again].

So I am so sorry that this is so late [two months, yikes!] and now the storyline is going to most likely differ since I WILL NOT rewrite what I have already written. Also, my Microsoft office went stupid and I had to wait until I could download a trial [because it's too much money to buy it]. And then for the last week, I have not been able to upload this so I had to leave firefox and go over to good ol' fashioned internet explorer.

Sigh.

And Neya [my computer] has a giant crack across her face, so until it's fixed it looks the page is crying tears of blood.

But guess what…. New couple! Guess who? [Just came up with them, have never thought of them as a pairing before, shock] + I finally did my 'special threesome' that I said I'd do on my profile.'

'**I've seen your flag on the marble arch. But love is not a victory march. It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah."**

When love is all that's left to keep you going,

Naruto was sleeping, spread out on the mattress on the ground, whilst Jiraiya finished his latest novel. The boy hadn't really noticed, but Jiraiya hadn't written anything down in a few hours, surreptitiously glancing over as Naruto whined and groaned and generally acted like a petulant brat.

Hidden under his half-done novel was a hand written letter, its words hastily scribbled but still conveying all of Tsunade's grief and anger.

He couldn't tell Naruto.

He didn't know what the boy would do and quite frankly, he didn't want to see him in that amount of pain. So he'd keep quiet, since it was time for Naruto to return anyway. And when the boy was gone, he'd search for this bastard Itome.

And he would kill him.

Orochimaru had said he was a weak-willed fool, and maybe Sasuke would say the same about Naruto too. But like his student, if you angered Jiraiya enough, he would get blood on his hands.

You just don't mess with people they care about. You just don't.

* * *

Izumo had been Kotetsu's best friend since their genin days. Stuck in the same team they had quickly bonded, desperately glad that they hadn't been stuck with Anko like a certain scarred, brown-haired prankster.

Watching Iruka cluck around nervously, badgering Tsunade for more information on he's previous students, Izumo felt a surge of pride. They'd all come so far.

"Izumo, where's Kotetsu? He should have had my sake by now."

"Tsuande-sama," both Iruka and Shizune exclaimed and Izumo took back his previous thought. Yep, he and Kotetsu had gone so far. Far enough to become the godaime's errand boys.

Tsunade slammed her fist down and after much yelling and abuse, both Shizune and Iruka left.

"Finally," Tsuande sighted, "come over here Izumo."

He moved immediately, his experience telling him that she was in the mood to throw things.

And hard.

Glancing around sneakily, the esteemed Godaime pulled out a bottle of sake and gestured for Izumo to sit down. He didn't bother fighting and just accepted the proffered glass. There were some perks to his job after all. You could drink away the embarrassment of it.

Izumo rubbed his bandaged eye and wondered how long it would until Kotetsu came back.

"So boy," Tsunade cackled. How about a bet?"

Four hours later Kotetsu came back to a boxer-clad Izumo and an inebriated Hokage that was doing her damndest to suffocate his friend with her boobs. Kotetsu sighted, wondering why Tsuande had to get the special Sake from the tea country. It might have had to do with the fact that her adopted-daughter was currently healing in the hospital from trying to kill herself, and that an injured and partly-pyschotic heiress was slowly losing the battle to her adopted-daughters tormenter and her adopted-son was having to watch.

And letting slip to Ino that Itome had been the ones to kill Sakura's parents didn't make Sakura any more happy to be among the living.

"Tetsu-chan! Come join us," the godaime shrilled, Izumo placing both hands on her rather voluptuous thighs to push himself up. He had a dopey grin on his face and his cheeks were flushed.

Tired from the long trek, Kotetsu shrugged off his coat and barely kept all his fingers when Tsunade snatched the special sake from his hand. Izumo himself missed the sake, but seemed happy enough with his hands clenched around Kotetsu's shirt.

Pulling him forward, Izumo planted a firm kiss on his lips, his other hand squeezing the Godaime's leg as she finished her sake.

'Gone in two seconds,' he absently thought before Tsunade decided to join in on the kissing. They weren't Jiraiya, they never would be, but they loved her just the same. And hopefully she loved them back.

So maybe it wasn't the best job in the world, but it sure had its perks.

* * *

"That – that', stupid idiot!" Ino shouted, pacing back and forth whilst Lee awkwardly tried to calm her down and Shikamaru chewed on the piece of grass in his mouth. She liked Lee, she really did, but usually it was Chouji in his place and it just wasn't the same without his soft voice trying to comfort her.

Lee was trying his best though, he really was, and Ino was glad that she'd realised what a great guy he was all those years ago, that he was a real sweetie on the inside, just like Chouji.

Shikamaru was no help, but he didn't have to, he just had to let her rage.

And rage she did.

Sakura would probably be pissed off that she'd told Shikamaru about the whole Itome-killed-her-parents thing but he knew how to keep his mouth shut and Lee had only arrived later. The poor boy just thought she was angry that Sakura had tried to kill herself.

"That idiot!"

Not that she wasn't pissed off. Oh, she was furious. And then Sakura had the gall to refuse to tell her about Itome. Her friend had been always a little off in the last couple of years but she had moments when she was her normal (though grown up of course) self and Ino had been content to wait patiently for Sakura to come to her.

"She's my best friend and she didn't even think to talk to me."

"Sakura-chan is a most youthful and strong flower, I am certain that she did not want to trouble our young minds with her sadness, though I would have happily helped her if only she had asked me," Lee said, not in his loud voice but still strong all the same.

Ino paced back and forth, changing her near-tears of fear and pain to anger.

"Shika! How did you not know about this? You notice everything."

Only the Yamanaka would have been able to hear the slight annoyance in the Nara's voice as he said, "Well I didn't notice this."

"None of us did," came a new voice and Ino whirled around to see an excited Lee jumping on a familiar red-head Kazekage. He'd automatically braced himself and stoically let Lee hug him.

"Gaara! When did you arrive?" Lee yelled, fortunately unable to flower up such a simple sentence (well, at least these days he spoke normal at least a quarter of the time).

"Today."

Shikamaru had turned his head and squinted at the red-head, saying only "Naruto," in that aha way of his.

Gaara nodded and Lee glanced back and forth between them excitedly.

"This most youthful moment is our beloved Shikamaru-kun and Gaara-kun bonding in a way that Ino-chan nor I understand!"

Ino just sighed and shook her head, jokingly smacking Lee on the shoulder before ruffling his bowl-hair affectionately.

"Only you don't get it dummy. He's saying Gaara-san is here to see Naruto."

"Ah! Because they are brothers and he is here to give his strength and support in a most manly way." Lee turned shiny wide eyes onto Gaara and Ino swore that his mouth twitched. "How expected of Gaara-kun, the great Kazekage that he is!"

"Lee," Gaara said. And Ino raised her eyebrows at how that one word commandeered his entire attention.

"Yes, Gaara-kun?"

"I heard your sensei was performing thirty thousand sit ups over by training grounds."

Eyes widening even further, if that was even possible, Lee gasped, "but that is past his record of twenty-three thousand, two hundred and fifty six."

Gaara nodded, arms folded across his chest.

A bit of dust flew in the air and everyone could hear Lee long after he was gone.

"GAI-SENSEI! I BELIEVE IN YOUR YOUTHFULNESS AND WILL JOIN YOU ON YOUR MISSION WITHOUT FAIL, I APOLOGISE SINCERELY FOR NOT BEING THERE WITH YOU FROM THE BEGINNING!..."

And it faded away.

Ino blinked, stared at Gaara who faced her with a straight expression, as if he hadn't done that on purpose. Maybe it was the tumbleweed rolling past or Gaara's completely innocent expression but she bent over and laughed. The other two didn't but then again, they weren't really the types too, but maybe there was a little smile here and a silent chuckle.

And unbeknownst to her, both of them were riveted as her face lit up with joy.

* * *

Wrists held down, Naruto struggled to keep Hinata from hurting herself. Beside him Sasuke held her head still so she wouldn't try to slam it into the concrete again. Itomi wanted her to lose consciousness because he would be stronger.

"Hinata, Hinata. Stop! Please."

The hyuuga heiress bucked and swore, his sweet-tempered girl no longer in charge of the words that came spewing out of her mouth.

"Sasuke, what do I do," Naruto asked, turning to his friend who, though an unmitigated asshole with serious relationship (brother in particular) and revenge issues, always came up with an intelligent course of action.

So when Sasuke choked on his words and focused all his attention on holding Hinata's head down, he was a bit disappointed.

Or pissed off you could say.

"Teme! Don't you dare look away from me. How do we stop this?"

"She's all mine, mine – ahhh," the words trailed off into a scream as Hinata fought back. She was fighting off her very own monster and Naruto couldn't help her.

Wait, monster.

His mind moved at a pace that was quick for him, linking thoughts together in a way that seemed illogical to most but always worked out right for him. Why make things hard when they could be easy?

Naruto was a jinchuuriki, a jinchuuriki who had control (mostly) over his own monster.

He just had to teach Hinata to do what he did.

* * *

Hinata looked into Naruto's eyes and fell.

Not in-love, she did that years ago, but this time she relaxed and even though his eyes were bright red, she followed.

And landed in a corridor leaking from the pipes and filled with water up to her knees.

Naruto was by her side in a moment and he grasped her hand, tugging her forward, even though she hesitated. Neither of them said anything, Hinata mute with a fear that she would falter, that she would not be strong enough for Naruto.

And that thought strengthened her, because she would never leave Naruto. Not ever. So Hinata steeled herself and tightened her grip on Naruto's hand. She didn't stop even as they walked into a wide area, with gates stretching high into the darkness of the roof.

On the gate was the symbol for seal.

Behind it Kyuubi breathed fire and his eyes glowed from the dark outline of his body.

"Kyuubi," Naruto began, glancing nervously at the heiress beside him.

Hinata's eyes were wide with awe.

"Hinata?"

"He's so big," was the girls answer, followed by a hasty squeal as she covered her mouth and her face went that familiar colour that Naruto knew so well.

Naruto laughed, adoring that that was her first thought when meeting the fearsome and loathed nine-tails.

Then she twitched, and Naruto felt Sasuke's presence beside her.

"Teme, what are you doing in here?"

Kyuubi growled and Sasuke glared back, red eyes locked in a constant battle for who was bigger, better, stronger.

Naruto growled himself, not liking Sasuke's attention on Kyuubi like that. Naruto was his rival, not the tailed-beast.

Sasuke shot his gaze back to Naruto and Hinata glanced between the two boys, wanting to sigh at their relationship though it was not usually in her nature to do so. Though a part of her was scared (read: terrified) that one day Naruto might leave her (and it wouldn't be that surprising if the two 'rival's' finally hooked up), she couldn't really hate Sasuke.

Not anymore at least, she'd only thoroughly disliked him when he'd nearly killed Naruto and that was less hate as more, how dare you hurt my sweet Naruto-kun type of rage.

The two boys were still glaring (sending eye messages of love) and it was steadily becoming awkward, especially as Kyuubi found her much more interesting to watch.

"You should ditch the boy and come into my cage heiress, he seems to busy making eyes with the Uchiha-brat to give you the real love you needed."

And Hinata went bright red, mortified, and unable to look past her feet.

She only missed the Uzumaki and Uchiha turning bright red themselves (though Sasuke was more of a light dusting on his cheeks, Uchiha's have a reputation to uphold you know).

"Hinata!" Naruto said loudly, "let's start your training."

"I will help," Sasuke added to which Naruto responded that they didn't need his help.

"I've done this before idiot, so shut up and focus on Hinata."

Kyuubi purred, baring his teeth at the heiress.

"Yes, little heiress, let's start. But don't forget, I'll be here for when you get tired of the boy."

Great, not only did she have a dead person inside of her trying to take control, but her boyfriend was flirting (unintentionally) with a guy that she couldn't, nor would get mad at him for flirting with and now Kyuubi, the strongest of all the tailed-beasts, was hitting on her.

Was everything in the ninja world perverted? Or was she just lucky?

Arms wrapped around from behind, cold and dead and a sick twisted voice whispered in her ear. _'I'll rip out your eyes just like I ripped our Sakura's daddys and then maybe I'll fuck your body while its still warm. What do you think about that?'_

"Hey!" Naruto shouted and Sasuke turned too, three sets of red eyes glaring at Itome, though Hinata was surprised they could see him.

"Get the hell away from our woman!"

Though Hinata should have been more focused on the serial murderer/rapist currently holding onto her (it made her feel nauseous) she still had a moment to think 'our'?

Because for some reason, Hinata didn't think Naruto was just talking about him and Kyuubi.

* * *

Sai smiled widely as the poor man fidgeted on the bed, nervous. Sai could tell that he was nervous as he was displaying the obvious symptoms. Fidgeting, chewing of lips, unable to make, let alone keep eye contact and a constant blush across his tanned skin.

"You have beautiful skin, do not worry," he said but the man did not stop fidgeting. Unable to draw the way he wanted to, Sai stood up and moved over to the bed. Gently drawing the half-naked man's hands onto his chest.

"Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi gave me my heart, but you taught me how to love. I do not know exactly how to do so, but drawing you is one way to express that I care."

"I – I know that Sai-kun, it's just, um, I've never had this type of thing, d-done before and I'm barely clothed and it's just –"

Sai moved the man's hands down to below his waist and smiled a smile that wasn't so fake.

"Or we could have sex if you want Iruka-sensei."

Iruka shrieked. "Don't call me that!"

Sai didn't understand why Iruka always freaked out, it was what everyone called him.

"But I like calling you that."

Face bright red, and his hands on Sai's unmentionables, Iruka sincerely hoped that Sai didn't understand how perverted it was calling his 'sensei' during the middle of sex. And with the way he smiled, he could never tell if Sai was being honest or pretending to be obtuse.

And he didn't know which turned him on more.

But ssh, don't tell his students that.


	24. Promise?

'**I don't want to know, I just want to run to you, and break off the chains and throw them away. I just want to be so much, and shake off the dust, that turned me to rust. Sooner than later, I need a saviour, I'll need a saviour.'**

Promise?

Jiraiya slammed his face into the mud, narrowing his eyes at the insane cackle that drifted up. Blood, mixed in with the water slush, stained it toes. This disgusting piece of filth, this _thing_ that dare call itself a medic, had tainted Sakura as well.

"She screamed and cried, and begged -"

Jiraiya broke his other wrist, too far gone in his rage to even relish in the crazy man's shriek. He slammed his foot down on the wrist, wishing he could record this for Sakura, for Tsunade.

"She'll never forget me-"

Itome's broken bones crashed into others, severing tendons and ligaments along the way. Automatically his own chakra healed the damaged parts.

That was okay; Jiraiya just snapped them in half again. And again and again and again.

Finally, when he couldn't quite tell if the man below him was actually in the shape of man he decided to finish it. One swift rasengan through the chest was enough to make him happy, though the Itome still lingered on.

A wet cackle came from him, the left over flesh barely keeping the meat around his neck from spilling out.

"She" –gasp- "can't" –choke- "get away" –shudder- "from me."

Jiraiya leant down, fingers digging past that skin and finding a grip in his meat, enough to pull the man's face up to his own. Eye to eye, Jiraiya sneered.

"She will, because you'll be dead."

And Itome laughed in his face.

* * *

Kyuubi wrapped his tail around the heiress, delighting in the feel of her breasts, so soft and supple against his fur. He tightened a bit, letting another tail slither in between her legs, rubbing against her centre.

The girl gasped lightly and let out a quiet moan, before Naruto and Sasuke were pulling Hinata out of there.

He growled, irritated that they had been interrupted.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The stupid brat screamed at him, not even noticing that it was the Uchiha who held his/their woman in his arms. Though the boy admittedly had his back pressed to both the Uchiha and their princess.

"What you want to," Kyuubi snarled, just wishing the boy would get over his awkwardness and fuck the girl already, then maybe he'd get a turn too. Actually, no maybe's, he was going to fuck the girl one day.

And he said so.

Said girl's face went even reader and she buried it in the Uchiha's chest, not realising that she was rubbing her thighs together, though Kyuubi noticed.

"Back off," the Uchiha said, to which the boy agreed.

His container stopped mid-nod though, finally realising what he was pressed again, finally realising that the Uchiha held their woman. He waited for the boy to rip the girl away from the Uchiha but he did something entirely different.

He blushed, went as red-faced as their princess.

And the Uchiha, noticing how close they were (perfect for a threesome, since he wouldn't mind fucking the arrogance out of that Uchiha brat) went pink across the cheeks.

Kyuubi purred, reaching out tails to wrap around all three.

"Well, I suppose I can fuck all of you, I have enough tails and you have enough holes."

He didn't expect the rasengan or chidori.

Honestly, humans have some real issues.

* * *

Ten seconds after Sasuke followed Naruto and Hinata, they came back to the real world. Automatically Hinata fell unconscious, completely tired from however long they had been training inside of Naruto for. It could've been hours, days, weeks, but Hinata had finally mastered control (in between trying to stop Kyuubi's constant attempts at sex, because one: he was an Uchiha, he would not be dominated and two: it was freakin tailed beast for goodness sakes and they were _human._)

"Hinata," Naruto scrambled over to her, gently picking her off the ground. Sasuke watched silently, noting that he truly treated her treated her like something precious that he couldn't risk injury too.

It made him want to hate her, because Naruto was looking at her like she was his entire world, and _Sasuke _was used to being that. But he couldn't hate her because well, she might not be _that bad, _for a _female_ you know, cause she didn't squeal and speak about stupid things and she could actually fight and maybe she was a little cute when she got all flustered over Naruto and Sasuke needed to stop thinking about this because _he didn't care._

"Usuratonkachi, let's go."

Wide blue eyes stared up at him. "Do you think she'll be okay? Should I take her to the hospital? Or get her ramen, ramen would help wouldn't it?" Sasuke tsked but Naruto answered his own question. "Ramen always helps, I'll get her some ramen."

Said Ramen-lover went to stand, girl in arms, but Sasuke smacked him over the back of the head.

"Hey! What the hell was that for bastard?"

"Ramen won't work idiot, she's just tired." And now that he was thinking about it, he's arms were a little sore, even though it hadn't been his physical arms that had helped hold Itome down whilst Hinata beat him with soft hands but lethal jabs.

Hinata had to beat him to submission before she could take control, though she'd oddly taken to cutting off his voice straight away. Naruto had looked confused but nodded his head at a certain look from Hinata and Sasuke had had a feeling that he was missing something important.

He didn't like not knowing things, especially if the idiot did. That wasn't the way things worked between them.

"Well what do I do? Just take her home."

One blink and Sasuke realised how close Naruto was. _Not _blushing he glanced down, brushing Hinata's hair off of her nose before his mind had caught up with what his hand was doing.

Again, bright blue eyes, _beautiful eyes, _were staring at him, and he coughed.

"Take her home." And he turned to leave.

"Teme!" Naruto called and Sasuke paused, not moving. Voice hesitant Naruto spoke anyway. "Come with me."

Sasuke's head spun with a speed he didn't think possible, returning Naruto's shocked gaze (it was almost like the boy couldn't believe what he'd said either).

"You know, because she needs to sleep and when she wakes up she'll need food and Sakura's busy with all that stuff and healing, cause she needs to heal after what that bastard did to her so when Hinata wakes up she'll need to eat and I'm not that great at cooking and since I can't give her ramen, though I don't know why since Ramen _heals everything_ I suppose you could make her something since she does seem to like tomatoes like you like tomatoes though you basically get a hard-on for them and so you need to cook for her so that's why you should come back. With me-us. To my place."

Sasuke blinked.

"So you can cook."

Again, a silence as Sasuke digested everything that Naruto had just spewed out of his mouth and he really did look handsome with the sun shining on his hair and holding a slightly flushed Hinata in his arms who just snuggled into his chest.

"Mm Naruto-kun," she mumbled and Sasuke tsked as Naruto turned beat-red.

"So I'm your chef?" He finally choked out, trying to sound normal.

Naruto grinned brightly. "I was picturing more like a maid, but you can wear a cute little apron if you want."

Sasuke smacked him over the back of the head, resolutely _not imaging _him in an apron (_and only an apron), _bent over feeding the fox boy as Hinata bashfully covered herself in her maid-outfit.

No. He didn't think about that at all.

Damn it, he never should have read Kakashi's books.

Not that he'd told the man he'd borrowed them.

* * *

"Neji!" Tenten called, skidding into his backyard where said boy sat in a zen-like pose. His face barely twitched at her exuberant cry but she knew he heard her.

"Hey hey hey, I got a new weapon, let me try it on you." And she had got a new weapon, for a purposes, she could dumb it down to being a giant meat-cleaver. It had more skills and uses than that, but it was giant and that was the main point she'd got it.

Oh, and it was shiny.

"Tenten," Neji said softly, though she could tell by the tone that he was annoyed, "can you not see that I am meditating."

"You're not anymore though, since you're talking to me."

Neji opened his eyes and looked calmly at her. At least, that was what he wanted her to think, but his gaze wasn't that calm at all.

Tenten merely smiled brightly at him, sort of (though one can't every really be) thankful that her years with Gai and Lee had taught her to ignore others.

"You are not going to leave me alone are you?"

"Nope."

Neji sighed, resigned after many years of being her friend. "Well, how do you wish to do this?"

"I was think I could just try and smash your face in with my giant meant cleaver?"

Neji's eyes widened. "Meat cleaver?" He said softly.

Pulling her giant cleaver out (from where she had skilfully hidden it behind her back and even Neji had to wonder how she had done that) TenTen smiled as she slammed onto the ground. The earth cracked, straight under Neji's feet and he let out an odd high squeak.

Tenten laughed in delight, always enjoying the noises Neji made when surprised (since it rarely happened.)

Landing on hands and feet, Neji stood, staring at the giant silver meat-cleaver which Tenten held above her head, quite easily even though it was three times the size of her body.

"Tenten, what the hell is that?"

Said weapon-fanatic swung it around, relishing in the feel of it and the sound it made in the wind.

"Meat-cleaver!"

Neji's brow twitched. "That is not a meat-cleaver."

"What do you mean?"

Huffing, Neji turned and walked off, ignoring Tenten's startled shriek.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"I am not going against that . . . thing. It is hardly befitting of a Shinobi, it is too flashy. Much like Naruto."

Neji's blindspot didn't let him see the fist as it smacked him over the head, sending purple dancing around his head.

"You bastard! How dare you insult me you ass. Fine! Just because your jealous of its size since your insecure about yours, doesn't mean I have to deal with this."

And Tenten stomped off, ignoring Neji's mutter of "I am _not _insecure of my size . . . I am definitely not lacking in anything."

And she would swear that Neji talking about _that _didn't make her blush.

Honest.

* * *

"Sakura, lay down."

"No! Get off of me."

Sakura pushed up with all her might but Kakashi didn't move from on top of her. Legs either side, hands around her wrists, Sakura's face was both red from anger, exertion and the tiniest bit of embarrassment.

What? His face was really close, anyone would get a little uncomfortable at that.

'_Yeah. Uncomfortable.' _Snicker.

'Shut up.'

"You need to rest."

"I'm fine."

Kakashi's hands tightened around her wrists, her bandaged wrists.

"You tried to kill yourself. You are not fine."

Sakura turned her head to the side, not wanting to look in that one eye that held so much disappointment.

"Shut up."

"No," Kakashi said softly, before leaning down and pressing his clothed lips against her neck. A strangled cry left Sakura's lips and she fought the urge to cry. She had just wanted to die damnit.

Those lips travelled up, lightly nipping her ear, a nose nuzzling into her hair, before he pressed their cheeks together. Sakura stopped fighting, went limp and just closed her eyes, breathing in his scent and the feel of his touch.

And then his bare lips, _bare lips, _where on hers and he was kissing her, tongue prodding until her mouth opened in surprise and he swept her away.

Something wet was on her cheeks and when she opened her eyes, it was to see a face she had never seen before.

His beautiful, _naked _face.

And it was him crying, that one red eyes dripping tears onto her cheek and she reached up, trying to brush them away though they kept falling. Panic swelled up inside her and she tried to speak.

"No – don't, stop crying." That red eye kept crying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I won't do it again, just please, Kakashi, stop crying."

And she was crying too now but she meant every word, if he just stopped crying then she'd never kill herself again, she'd promise.

Kakashi smiled and it was so beautiful because she could truly see it and it nearly knocked the wind out of her sails.

"Promise?" He asked, sounding vaguely child-like. And even though Sakura felt that maybe he was manipulating her, taking advantage of the fact that he was crying, that they were both crying, she promised.

"I promise."

And he kissed her again.

Which was fine, until a shrieking Iruka pulled him off of her.


	25. Say no more, stand or fall

'**I'm a little bit insecure. From all of this mis-mis-treatment  
But see I'm workin it out****, I'm workin it out. It's so damn hard.'**

Say no more, stand or fall

* * *

"Gaara?"

Ino stopped in her tracks, surprised at the man standing in front of her sensei's grave.

Said man glanced over to her, the wind rustling his red hair.

"What are you doing here?"

Ino moved forward, even though her body shivered at the feel of his eyes on her. Bending, she knelt down and placed the white lilies at the foot of his grave.

"Temari told me of your sensei. Shikamaru talks about him a lot."

Ino jolted, not quite sure how she felt about Shikamaru talking to that sand-woman about _their _sensei.

"Oh."

Gaara said no more.

Awkward, not knowing what to do, Ino started talking to the grave.

"Well sensei, another update. Forehead is still in hospital, the idiot, and Chouji keeps forgetting about his diet. Mum is dragging dad out on a date tonight so I've got the house all to myself. Now I know I should've moved out by now but I really can't be bothered to wash my own clothes or clean my own house. Nothing much else has happened since yesterday though Hinata has been strangely AWOL. Um.." and here she stopped, wanting to say more though she never did, she always kept her talks with Asuma slightly upbeat.

"Your little guys a real fighter; he's already following Shika around, wanting to play ninja's. Shika just makes his shadows move and it entertains the kid for hours. Kurenai's doing great, too busy doting on the little guy though she's taken a few missions now that she's older. She misses you, you know. We all do though. Mm. So I suppose that's it for today. I guess I'll come see you another time. Love you sensei. Bye."

And she rose up to her feet, nervously looking to side only to notice that Gaara was watching her intensely.

She played with her fridge before moodily saying "what," because she was Ino, a tough-as-nails, go-get-em type of girl that wouldn't let a little bit of nervousness stop her from snapping at the Kage.

Oh gosh, she'd just snapped at a Kazekage, never mind if he was younger than her (and he was, nine months and two days exactly).

"I did not mean to unnerve you," he said softly and Ino scoffed.

"I wasn't unnerved."

Gaara said nothing to that, choosing to continue with his own thoughts.

"I am surprised you still spoke even if I was here. You did not have to."

Ino smoothed down her fringe.

"It didn't bother me. We were both visiting him."

Gaara said nothing, moving his eyes to the grave and back to her.

Silence.

"Well, I um, I'm gonna go now, but uh, what are you doing? Weren't you going to visit Naruto, lord knows he needs a friend, what with Forehead being an idiot and Sasuke is too much of an emotional-retard to possibly offer support so you should go help him and do that friend thing that you do."

Ino's hands had somehow made their way to hips and her voice had gone less from a 'what-are-you-doing' to a demanding 'go-do-this-NOW!'

She had a thing with orders, it was quite hard for her to control.

Cheeks red, Ino quickly crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look Gaara in the face but finding it quite difficult to do so. Why did he have to be so cute?

And so quiet? It freaked her out.

Ino went to speak but the silent-boy spoke. "Naruto is busy. I will see him later."

"Oh." Again, with that one word. She seemed to say it often.

"Well," she began, at a loss what to do. "Do you want to go get lunch?"

And she just couldn't believe what had come out of her mouth. And she certainly didn't expect his answer.

"Okay."

* * *

Kakashi held Sakura, breathing in the scent of her hair and wishing, wanting them to just stay like this forever. Too many people left him, too many people had died, but things were different now and he wasn't going to let her go.

And old sensei's freaked out and tried to tear you off the girl you loved.

Things had calmed down, though Iruka got a nice right hook in (he was distracted, it was unexpected) and the Chunnin had finally left. After Sakura made him.

Because he refused to listen to Kakashi.

"I think Naruto might kill you," Sakura said softly and he hmmed, pretending he had been listening to what she'd been saying.

"You weren't listening were you?" She said, and Kakashi winced, placing a kiss atop her head in the hope that it would soothe her anger.

She smacked him over the back of the head and Kakashi pouted.

"I guess you didn't believe me?"

Sakura snorted, squirming around his arms, the hospital blanket bunching up to their hips. "You didn't even fake a lie Sensei. Pathetic."

"Ooh, call me sensei again."

His little cherry blossom smacked him over the head, her cheeks as pink as her namesake. "Dirty old pervert. Shut up."

The copy-nin laughed, a full, deep-throated laugh that made his girl, and she was his girl now, bump up and down with the shaking off his chest.

"I said shut up."

"Maa, maa, Sakura-chan," he said again, leaning down to rub his nose against hers. "We're going to get through this, you know? I'm not going to let you fall."

Sakura blushed a pretty blush, the bandages still around her wrists.

"Yeah, you, me, Hinata, Kiba, we have to get through all of this. I'm not going to let what, what he did, what Itome did, stop me from living my life anymore."

Kakashi pulled down his mask and stole a kiss. He planned to keep stealing them for the rest of his life.

* * *

7 months later

Sakura laughed as Naruto rolled Sasuke on the ground, the two punching and biting at each other. Hinata beside her giggled lightly, playing with the two rings in between her breasts. They glittered and sparkled on the silver chain and Sakura felt so immensely _happy. _

Her two boys were idiots, would always be her idiots, but they were both finally Hinata's idiots and she couldn't see a more perfect couple.

Well, except maybe Kiba and Shino, though they were still in the 'undefined' area. Sakura still felt so immensely guilty but Kakashi was helping her through it and Kiba had assured her he didn't blame her.

Sometimes they wouldn't see him for days, not because of a mission, but because he would go off with the animals and visit the hospital with infected scratches and marks that she'd heal with a heavy heart. He waved off her concern and she got to the point where she no longer asked and just waited for him to speak.

Maybe he would, one day. But he wasn't ready yet.

The scars on her thighs had finally healed. Tsunade had done the job.

Now with Hinata's control (and such nice control did she have, who knew Naruto would be useful?) Itome's chakra was gone from her body and his soul was trapped in a place that no longer haunted Hinata's dreams.

"Sasuke's a baka. Baka, baka, baka!" Naruto teased and a cat fell on his head, Kakashi crouched on the tree branch above him.

"What the hell Baka-sensei!" Naruto screeched and Sasuke, after a moment, picked up the cat and placed it on the ground.

"Defeated by a mere cat usuratonkachi? And you call yourself the soon-to-be-Hokage?"

The two fought some more, Kakashi watching with Icha Icha in his hand and a closed eye.

Sakura watched her friends, finally yelling at them to hurry up because honestly, they needed to get to the dinner and she had to see what Ino-pig was wearing. As well as keep her eye on Neji who'd been keeping his eyes on TenTen way more than she was used to. And for some reason, every time she said 'meat cleaver' the boy twitched. It was odd. She'd have to get the story someday.

Giving Hinata a nudge (the girl was still shy, probably would be for years, especially with _two boys _in her bed – figuratively, not till marriage), she watched the Hyuuga heiress make her way over to her teammates, blushing scarlet when Naruto grabbed her in his arms and stuck his tongue out at Sasuke.

Sasuke, ever-mature, leant forward and pretended to bite his tongue.

Now both Hyuuga heiress and fox-boy were bright red and Sakura still felt a little weird seeing Sasuke act on all that sexual tension that had surrounded the three.

Kakashi was at her side, Icha Icha in one hand even as he encircled her waist.

"Ready to go?" He asked and she nodded, quite ready to turn away from the disturbing/adorable sight her three friends made. She still felt awkward because Tenten (followed excitedly by Ino) had found it necessary to ask which topped in front of her.

And she definitely wouldn't tell Kakashi that the perverted part of her liked the thought of Naruto dominating Sasuke. Because they were all just friends.

Even though Sakura was a normal, hormonal girl and two cute boys on top of her (lucky Hinata) was just a great picture.

Realllly good picture.

But she had Kakashi and that was good enough. Okay, it was great. Because he was there for her, had seen things no one else had seen and she trusted him.

She loved him.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go," Sakura said, and grasped his hand.

Because no matter what you go through, no matter how much pain and hardship, you have to make a decision.

You either stand or you fall.

And Sakura chose to stand.

* * *

I'm finishing this. I could've extended it but it's been long enough and I no longer have the same heart I used to. I'm so surprised that I finished this, I started (and finished) two novels in between this, and the constant updating helped me stick to my writing (even if the standard isn't that high) – but I didn't care, it was fun and came out easy and it didn't matter if I used repetitive metaphors. I left high school, I did my first year of uni and now I'm learning a language. I lost friends, I gained friends and I'm just a stronger person all around.

I hope you all enjoyed this time and thank you for coming on the journey with me. I know the Ino/Gaara/Shika thing end unresolved and so many others, but, I'll leave it open for you take as you will. I know how I picture it and well, I always imagined this story finishing with the 'You either stand or you fall' line. Hence the name of the story.

So people! Thank you for this, thank you for your reviews and encouragements and hopefully you'll all read my other stories!

じゃねみんなさん。きおつけてください！


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